A wildfire tore through a historic forest near Paris on Monday, forcing highway closures and mobilizing water-bombing aircraft, while Spain's death toll from one of its deadliest wildfires rose to 13, as much of western Europe simmered in a string of heatwaves.The region is enduring its third heatwave of the summer, with tinder-dry vegetation and high temperatures fueling blazes from the Iberian Peninsula to France. Many scientists say climate change is making wildfires more frequent and difficult to combat.
France deployed hundreds of firefighters to tackle a fast-moving blaze that broke out alongside a motorway near Fontainebleau, home to one of France's best-known royal palaces.
The death toll from last week's devastating wildfire in Spain's southern province of Almeria reached 13 after a 93-year-old British woman died from burns on Sunday, with 10 people still missing as of Monday, according to authorities. Visiting Almeria on Monday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called to reinforce fire prevention in the country.
But the impact of the summer scorchers could be more grim. Scientists monitoring so-called excess deaths said there were thousands more fatalities recorded than normal during a heatwave that swept through Europe and Britain at the end of June.
