Turkey evacuates thousands as intense heat grips Europe

ROME Paris put on red alert for extreme heat; Spain, Portugal report record temperatures as heatwave bakes Britain.

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French authorities put Paris on red alert for extreme heat and Spain and Portugal reported record temperatures as a heatwave gripped southern Europe and Britain on Monday, triggering health warnings and fuelling wildfires in Turkey.

The summer's first major heatwave has scorched countries along the northern coast of the Mediterranean, and the sea itself hit a record temperature for the month of June, meteorologists said.

France's national weather agency placed Paris and 15 other departments on its highest weather alert for Tuesday, with temperatures of up to 41°C predicted.

Ambulances stood ready near tourist hotspots as experts warned that such heatwaves, intensified by climate change, would become more frequent.

In Turkey, rescuers evacuated more than 50,000 people threatened by a string of wildfires. Most were from the western province of Izmir, where winds of 120 kilometres per hour fanned the blazes.

Firefighters also continued to battle blazes that broke out Sunday in Italy, fed by the heat and whipped up by strong winds.