As a heatwave rising from the south settled over western Europe on Tuesday, firefighters in southern France fought to put out major forest flames as Britain recorded its highest ever temperature.
As the heatwave, which experts blame to climate change, moved north and east, southern and western Germany and Belgium likewise prepared for perhaps record-breaking temperatures. The Met Office said that on Tuesday, Britain saw a temperature of greater than 40C (104F) for the first time ever.
Authorities have declared a “national emergency” due to the unusually high temperatures in Britain, which frequently struggles to maintain essential transportation services when slammed by severe weather like heavy snowfall or strong winds.
At least two airport runways showed symptoms of damage, and some railway tracks bowed, according to Transport Minister Grant Shapps, who predicted that it would take several years to completely adapt Britain’s infrastructure to withstand greater temperatures.
He told the BBC, “We’ve witnessed a significant amount of travel interruption.” The majority of the nation’s infrastructure, which dates back to the Victorian era, “wasn’t constructed to endure this sort of temperature.”
The Gironde wine-growing area in southwest France had its worst wildfires in almost 30 years, and officials said that a man had been apprehended on suspicion of arson.
Since July 12, the flames have burned across 19,300 hectares (about 75 square miles) of the countryside surrounding Bordeaux, causing 34,000 people to abandon their homes. The fires were being fought by about 2,000 firemen with the assistance of eight water-bomber aircraft.