Wildfire

France firefighters battle 'monster' wildfire near Bordeaux

The raging blaze near the city of Bordeaux has gutted a number of homes and forced 10,000 residents to flee.

"It's an ogre, it's a monster," firefighter representative Gregory Allione told France's RTL Radio.

Strong winds and high temperatures are hampering the firefighting operation.

President Emmanuel Macron announced that Austria, Germany, Greece, Poland and Romania "are coming to aid" France in battling the blaze. "European solidarity at work!" he tweeted.

Two dead as firefighters battle McKinney blaze

The bodies of the dead pair were found inside a car in the driveway of a property caught in the blaze.

Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue told ABC News the two seemed to be trying to escape the area.

The McKinney Fire has burned more than 52,000 acres, making it California's largest this year.

The identities of the two dead people are not being released until their families have been notified.

Ferocious European heat heads north

In France and the UK extreme heat warnings were issued while northern Spain recorded temperatures of 43C (109F) on Monday.

Wildfires in France, Portugal, Spain and Greece have forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes.

The UK is expected to see its hottest day ever and experts say parts of France face a "heat apocalypse".

Several parts of France saw their hottest-ever days with the western city of Nantes recording 42C, the national weather office said.

Villagers flee homes as Spanish wildfire blazes for fifth day

A wildfire fanned by strong winds has now driven out close to 2,000 people and killed one emergency worker since it erupted on Wednesday in the mountainous Sierra Bermeja above Estepona, a popular spot with British tourists and retirees.

Huge plumes of smoke rising above the mountains could be seen from miles away. Footage released by emergency services showed firefighters trying to contain flames in the dry, wooded terrain.

Strong winds push flames towards villages

More than 2,000 people have already been evacuated from the island, many of those by ferry.

A number of wildfires have struck the country in recent days. One blaze in the northern suburb of Athens is said to have subsided.

Greece is experiencing its most severe heatwave in 30 years in which temperatures have spiked to 45C (113F).

Heatwaves such as this are becoming more likely and more extreme because of human-induced climate change. The subsequent hot, dry weather is likely to fuel wildfires.

California Gold Rush town 'destroyed' by state's largest wildfire

The estimated 800 residents of the northern California community were told to evacuate before the blaze tore through the downtown area.

Officials say some people may not have heeded the order to leave. There have been no reports of deaths or injuries.

The three-week old Dixie Fire is now the eighth largest in state history.

Pictures from the scene show tall trees that have caught on fire, and structures that have been scorched and hollowed out by flames.

One photographer tweeted a photo of a metal light pole that had melted due to the intense heat.

Eight dead as blazes sweep through tourist resorts

The blazes have been raging for six days as Turkey grapples with its worst fire crisis in a decade.

On Monday Turkish authorities said more than 130 blazes had been contained as firefighting efforts continued.

Elsewhere, firefighters are trying to contain wildfires in parts of Greece, Spain and Italy.

Italy's national fire service said it had to deal with more than 1,500 flare-ups across the country on Sunday.

In the eastern city of Pescara, at least five people were injured after a fire forced the evacuation of hundreds from beach resorts and homes.

US heatwave: Wildfires rage in western states as temperatures soar

Communities have been told to evacuate as firefighters struggle to battle the blazes in the extreme conditions.

Two firefighters in Arizona died when their aircraft crashed while responding to a wildfire.

Meanwhile, Las Vegas matched its all-time temperature high of 47.2C (117F) on Saturday.

Firefighters battling the many wildfires in the region say the air is so dry that much of the water dropped by aircraft to quell the flames evaporates before it reaches the ground.

Thousands evacuated in southern California

Several thousand homes are under mandatory evacuation in the cities of Ventura and Santa Paula, some 70 miles (115 km) north of Los Angeles.

Firefighters warned the fire was moving so fast they were unable to contain it.

Fanned by high winds, the fire swept through tens of thousands of acres in a matter of hours.

California Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in Ventura County, promising to attack the fire "with all we've got".

Canada's British Columbia battles wildfires

The federal government says it is monitoring the situation closely and is ready to provide assistance upon request.

CBC News reported that an estimated 7,000 people had been forced from their homes.

The fires threaten several communities in BC's central interior region.

It is the first state of emergency declared by the province in 14 years.

The BC Wildfire Service said that lightning, strong winds and high heat were all contributing factors in the spread of the wildfires burning across hundreds of kilometres.