Red alerts are in place across vast swathes of Europe as wildfires engulf homes and countryside.

It comes as several countries across Europe and the Balkans face heatwaves, sparking fires which have seen thousands of people evacuated from their homes, hundreds injured and dozens killed.

Akshay Deoras, a research scientist at the meteorology department at the University of Reading, warned: ‘The heatwave currently affecting France, Spain, and the Balkan countries is not surprising. It is driven by a persistent heat dome over Europe.

‘Heatwaves don’t roar like storms – they creep in quietly, but can be just as deadly.’

Italy

A four-year-old boy died in Sardinia, Italy, earlier today after being found unconscious in his family’s car. He died of irreversible brain damage caused by heatstro

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