Heatwave continues to sweep across France

By Trend

Fifteen departments in western France remain under "extreme heat" warning, with temperatures expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius, French daily news channel BFMTV said, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

The situation is no better in the southwestern areas, where temperatures reached a new record of 41.6 degrees on Monday, BFMTV said.

Citing the French national meteorological service Meteo-France, BFMTV said the country was going through the 45th heatwave recorded since 1947.

The warning for extreme heat will be lifted in western France on Tuesday, but the heatwave will move on to the southeastern part of the country on Wednesday, it said.

The wildfires raging in southwestern France since July 12 have destroyed 14,000 hectares of land and caused 16,200 people to evacuate.

About 1,700 firefighters are still trying to put out the fires but the heatwave and strong winds are working against them, the news channel reported.

"The situation remains critical, with the fire spreading on different fronts due to changing winds," some firefighters were quoted by BFMTV as saying.