Italy puts nearly all major cities on highest heat alert
Italy's health ministry says 25 of the country's 27 major cities will be on red alert by Monday. Meanwhile, firefighters across several European countries continue battling large wildfires.
In its latest heatwave bulletin released on Saturday, the Italian health ministry announced that by Monday, 25 of Italy's 27 major cities will be under the highest-level red alert. Only two cities – Reggio Calabria at the southern tip of the Italian peninsula and Messina across the strait on Sicily – are expected to remain on the second-highest amber alert.
The ministry is urging residents in affected areas to avoid exposure to heat and direct sunlight during the hottest hours between 11:00 and 18:00, to stay indoors, and to drink plenty of fluids.
The extreme heat is being caused by a subtropical anticyclone from North Africa that is currently strengthening over the Mediterranean.
Meanwhile, firefighters in Greece, France, Portugal, and Spain are still battling blazes that have scorched thousands of hectares. In southeastern France's Var region, around 2,500 people were evacuated on Friday evening after a fire that had been contained for several days reignited, according to local officials.
However, a massive fire in the southwestern Gironde region is now under control, allowing some 200,000 evacuated residents to return to their homes.
