Spain heatwave latest: Extreme weather warnings over 44C temperatures as firefighters tackle deadly wildfires

Europe is in the grip of a severe heatwave, with temperatures in Spain approaching the country’s all-time record and devastating wildfires spreading.

Spain’s meteorological agency AEMET has warned of “extraordinary danger” as it forecasts temperatures of up to 44C on Thursday, not far off the 47.6C record heat that hit the country five years ago.

Popular Spanish tourist spots, including the areas around Malaga, Valencia and Alicante, could see temperatures reach as high as 42C.

Italy and France have also been affected by the extreme weather, with wildfires in southwestern France forcing the evacuation of more than 10,000 people near Bordeaux.

Dramatic footage shared on social media shows huge blazes in popular destinations like Sicily and Sardinia, during the height of the summer holidays.

The latest surge in temperatures come after heatwaves in June led to a spike in deaths across Europe, with 14,000 more people dying than would normally have been expected at this time of year, according to the EuroMOMO mortality monitoring hub.

More than 10,000 people were evacuated overnight in southwestern France as a rapidly spreading wildfire scorched through 2,000 hectares of land west of the city of Bordeaux, officials said on Thursday.

Wildfires have burnt more land in Europe already this year than the annual average in the past two decades, data shows, as the world's fastest-warming continent has endured three stifling, virtually back-to-back heatwaves so far this year.

Five hundred firefighters are battling to control the blaze, the prefecture said, adding that the wildfire was very rough, but that no one has been injured so far.

The wildfire is located near the Arcachon Bay area, a tourist hotspot, and many of those evacuated are tourists staying in camping sites.

The residents of a small village near the major Guadalajara wildfire have recalled the moment they were evacuated as a fire tore through the area.

It felt like “hell was approaching”, the mayor of the Naharros hamlet, Ricardo Antón, told El Pais.

“You see the whole mountain above burning and you hear it right above you. The fire was so fierce it jumped [across] the valley.”

Antonia Molinero, 80, recalled the moment the Civil Guard knocked on her door to evacuate her on Sunday night.

“You don’t have time to react. You think, if I have to leave, then I have to leave,” she said.

Antonio Mier, 20, added: "It's quite shocking to see everything green your whole life and then suddenly see it so black.”

The vast majority of Spain is at ‘extreme’ risk of a wildfire, according to Spanish forecaster AEMET.

On Thursday, the warnings cover large parts of the countries eastern half, with the rest of the country at ‘very high’ or ‘moderate’ risk.

Going into Friday, the vast majority of the country, carrying the northwestern and southwestern corners, along with parts of the eastern coast, are at ‘extreme’ risk, the forecaster said.

France recorded 5,764 excess deaths between June 17 and July 2 when the country was hit by heatwaves, French TV station BFMTV reported on Wednesday, citing health authority data.

The count represents a 36 per cent excess mortality, BFMTV added.

Health Minister Stephanie Rist had originally estimated the excess deaths recorded in late June at 2,025.

The record-breaking heatwaves saw temperatures go well into the 40s.

Spain has been plagued by wildfires during a period of dry weather and intense heat, with thousands evacuated.

In central Spain firefighters battled a wildfire on Wednesday that has burned over 32,000 hectares (79,000 acres) in one of the country's largest blazes on record.

The fire in rural Guadalajara comes less than two weeks after a deadly blaze devastated a small expat community in southern Spain.

That small but extremely virulent fire killed 13 people, including several foreigners, in one of the southern European country's deadliest wildfires.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Wednesday visited the fire-ravaged area in Guadalajara, and called for a pact between political parties to fight climate change.

"Year after year we clearly see how climate change kills and destroys wealth in our communities," Sánchez said in the village of Tamajón, located less than two hours by car northeast of Madrid.

"This isn't politics. It is science, it's about facts."

Some 34 villages have been evacuated in the area but there are no reported serious injuries or deaths.

Spain is set to face its third brutal heatwave of an already record-breaking summer, with temperatures expected to hit highs of up to 44C.

The country’s meteorological agency AEMET warned the heatwave is expected to last all week, with temperatures approaching Spain’s all-time record of 47.6C five years ago.

Areas most severely affected will include much of the southeastern interior of the country, pushing wildfire dangers to extreme levels.