#extremeweather

Ten thousand people in southwestern France were forced to evacuate due to a wildfire that is still burning and has already destroyed 4,600 hectares of forest, authorities said on Monday.

A dangerous heat wave has disrupted July Fourth events across the United States, including Donald Trump's flagship Great American State Fair, as the nation prepares to mark its 250th birthday.

Europe is still taking stock of a powerful heatwave in late June but experts are already confident it ranks among the worst ever recorded - even rivalling a freak 2003 episode.

France endured a rise of nearly 30 percent in the number of deaths recorded during the week of June 22, the peak of a record-breaking heatwave that battered the country, the public health authority said Friday.

Wildfires have broken out across southern France, forcing evacuations and stretching firefighting teams as the country prepares for the third heatwave of the summer, with the country's forests under increasing threat from climate change and disputes over logging.

At least 1,028 people died during Spain's recent heatwave as the country endured its hottest January-to-June period on record. Scientists said the extreme heat across Europe was driven by climate change.