Poland swelters as Europe battles deadly heatwave and wildfires

A heatwave gripping much of Europe pushed temperatures in Poland’s Baltic coast region above 30°C on Thursday, prompting police warnings about the dangers of leaving people or animals in parked cars as the mercury inside can soar to 60°C

Smoke rises from a fire that broke out late the previous day in the surroundings of Maceda in Galicia, northwestern Spain, 10 August 2025. The fire ignited at five or six points almost simultaneously, prompting the Galician government to declare an emergency level 2 due to its proximity to A Teixeira, a neighborhood within Maceda. The situation has

Photo: EPA/BRAIS LORENZO

Authorities urged drivers to hydrate and take more frequent breaks, and called on residents to check on elderly neighbours. “Heat can lead to dehydration, heatstroke or even death,” said police spokeswoman Anna Banaszewska-Jaszczyk in Gdańsk.

The extreme heat, linked to a continent-wide weather pattern, has fuelled deadly wildfires in Spain, where blazes in Zamora, Ourense and Caceres have destroyed over 100,000 hectares this year, killing three people and forcing thousands to evacuate. French Canadair water bombers have joined Spain’s firefighting efforts, while police have arrested more than a dozen suspected arsonists.

Germany also baked under temperatures above 36°C on Thursday, with forecasters predicting storms and cooler weather from Saturday. Meteorologists warned of high ozone levels, exceeding World Health Organization guidelines in parts of North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse.

In Britain, the number of wildfires in England and Wales so far this year is up more than 600% from the same period in 2024, according to the National Fire Chiefs Council, which linked the surge to climate-driven extreme weather.

Further south, wildfires have scorched parts of France’s Aude region, Greece’s Attica and Turkey’s Canakkale province, while forecasters say the latest Mediterranean heatwave could last into next week. The UN’s World Meteorological Organization warned that extreme heat causes nearly half a million deaths annually, over a third of them in Europe.

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Source: PAP