Spain swelters as France braces for pre-summer heatwave to hit

An unusually early heatwave in Spain, which has been sizzling residents since the weekend, spread to the centre and north-east of the country on Wednesday. The authorities advised people to drink plenty of water, to eat only light meals, to stay out of the sun for long periods of time, to avoid physical exertion and to consult a doctor at the first sign of heatstroke. The heatwave could subside at the weekend, but that is not certain, AEMET stressed. According to a report in the newspaper El País, hot spells are on the rise in Spain. They start earlier in the year, are longer, the temperatures are higher and affect more and more parts of the country at the same time. France is also facing a heat wave with temperatures of up to 40 degrees locally, after which severe weather threatens parts of the country at the weekend. According to the weather service Météo France on Wednesday, the highest temperatures are expected between Thursday and Saturday, when it will be over 20 degrees even at night. In Paris, temperatures of 38 degrees were expected for Saturday. As in Spain, the authorities called on the population to protect themselves and drink plenty of fluids. There were announcements in the suburban train stations in Paris to carry enough water to drink and also to watch out for fellow passengers. Fires continued to break out in the south of France, with the prefecture of Lozère announcing on Wednesday that 120 firefighters continued to tackle a fire that had broken out the day before in the area of Mas-Saint-Chély. A country road was closed, and 70 hectares of forest was destroyed by the flames. Although the firefighters brought the fire under control in the meantime, the danger of a new outbreak is great, they said. BFMTV reported that several fire-fighting planes were used. The fire brigade was able to protect five houses in one village that were threatened by the flames. During the heatwave, many residents in Paris have to deal with a strike by rubbish collectors. In 10 city districts, the bins have remained unemptied since Monday and hundreds of tons of rubbish have piled up on the pavements. According to the city, a solution to the situation is being worked on. Rubbish collection drivers are demanding an adjustment of their wages because of the strong rate of inflation.