Heatwave grips Europe: Fatalities in France, wildfires spread, Eiffel Tower closed

This isn’t just weather, it’s a wake-up call, and it’s hitting people where they live.

In Spain, the land is parched and vulnerable. A wildfire in Catalonia, the fiercest on record, killed two farmers as they fled flames racing at 28 km per hour. The fire burned 6,500 hectares of grain, sending ash 45,000 feet into the sky.

“Wildfires today are not like they were before,” said Catalonia’s regional president Salvador Illa. “These are extremely dangerous. From the very first moment, it was considered to be beyond the capacity of extinction.”

Even 500 firefighters couldn’t stop it; two ended up in hospital, and 14,000 residents were ordered to stay indoors, windows shut against the smoke. A sudden rainstorm finally slowed the blaze, a rare stroke of luck in a relentless summer.

In Barcelona, a street sweeper’s death is under investigation, possibly linked to the heat. Spain just endured its hottest June ever, and even the sea is suffering with port authorities recording record-high water temperatures in the Mediterranean and Atlantic. At night, there’s no relief; the warm sea keeps the air stifling, robbing people of sleep.

In Malaga, researcher Manuel Vargas explained, “a warmer sea means nights don’t cool down.” The Red Cross stepped in, opening an air-conditioned “climate refuge” and helping vulnerable folks cool off at the beach.

France is sweltering too. Four regions are on red alert, and the Eiffel Tower’s summit closed until Thursday to keep visitors safe. Hospitals are filling up with France’s hottest June since 2003 leaving people shaken, wondering how much hotter it can get. Two people have already died from heat related causes, and 300 more have been hospitalised.

In Italy, 17 cities, from Rome to Florence, are on high alert. Florence hit 39°C, and the hum of air conditioners pushed the grid too far, plunging parts of the historic centre into darkness. A construction worker in Bologna died from heat exposure leading Italy’s labor ministry scrambling to meet with unions, working on rules to protect outdoor workers in farming and construction.

Turkey’s firefighters are battling wildfires made worse by an early, intense heatwave. In Switzerland, the Beznau nuclear plant shut one reactor and reduced another to keep the Aare River from overheating which could harm fish and destroy ecosystems.

The European Union chose this blistering week to present its climate action plan. In Brussels, EU leaders announced a proposal to reduce emissions by 90 per cent by 2040, with the goal of becoming fully carbon-neutral by 2050.

“We are finally here on a very hot day, and some would call that very timely,” said Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra. The plan includes allowing businesses to use international carbon credits – starting in 2036 and capped at 3 per cent of benchmark 1990 EU emissions – to meet their targets. The proposal still needs approval from all 27 EU member states.

The numbers are sobering. The World Meteorological Organisation notes that over two-thirds of Europe’s worst heatwaves since 1950 have occurred since 2000, driven by emissions from fossil fuels, deforestation, and industry.

Every degree hotter means crops fail, workers collapse, and systems strain.

The summer of 2019 serves as a stark reminder of heat’s deadly toll. France recorded 1,435 excess deaths during two intense heatwaves in June and July, with 974 of those over age 75.

Across Europe, the toll was deeply felt: Spain reported at least two heat-related deaths, while the Netherlands saw around 400 excess deaths in late July, primarily among those over 80. Germany and Belgium also faced spikes in mortality, with estimates suggesting hundreds more deaths tied to the heat, though precise figures remain elusive.

The Summer of 2025 is just beginning and if it is anything like that of 2019, the prognosis is grim. Yet, even in the midst of this crisis, people find ways to cope. In the Netherlands, the town of Soest came together on Tuesday night for a massive water fight with the fire brigade. Kids and adults splashed and laughed, a brief escape from the heat’s grip.

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