A 22-year-old firefighter has died tackling a wildfire in France as the country deals with more scorching temperatures.
Interior minister Laurent Nunez announced the man's death on X with "deep sadness" and said the volunteer member had died "in the line of duty" in the Savoie region.
Recent heatwaves have left many forested areas in Europe parched and tinder-box fry, increasing the chance of fires.
The blaze in Savoie, in the heart of the Alps, is estimated to have so far burned 800 acres.
A much larger fire, in the southern Pyrenees-Orientales region, has burned over 12,000 acres and forced Tour De France organisers to ban fans from the third stage on Monday.
About 700 firefighters have been dealing with the blaze near the Spanish border.
Officials said on Wednesday that it had not advanced overnight and more than 10,000 people who were evacuated from about two dozen villages had been allowed home. However, the fire is still not fully contained.
Over the weekend, Portugal and France ​activated the EU civil protection mechanism due to multiple wildfires.
The European Commission is allocating a record 777 firefighters from 14 countries to high-risk areas of France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Cyprus.
In Greece a government spokesman said on Monday that 96 wildfires had broken out in 48 hours. However, the vast majority were contained before they could spread.
Forecasters in France are predicting another 40C heatwave in the coming days - a phenomenon experts say is becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change.
Much of the country was under an emergency heat alert a few weeks ago as peaks in the low 40s were recorded and a new national average temperature record was set.
The UK is also set for its third heatwave of the year, classed as when temperatures exceed a certain level (which varies by region) for three days in a row.
Highs of 34-35C are possible in the South but it will be less humid than the last heatwave, which set a new all-time high for June.
(c) Sky News 2026: French firefighter, 22, dies battling Savoie wildfire as European temperatures soar again
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