FOREST fires fanned by high winds and hot, dry weather damaged some homes in Turkey as a heatwave that has cooked much of Europe led authorities to issue warnings.

A heat dome hovered over an arc from France, Portugal and Spain to Turkey, while data from European forecasters suggested other countries were set to boil further in coming days. 

New highs are expected on Wednesday before rain is forecast to bring respite to some areas later this week.

“Extreme heat is no longer a rare event — it has become the new normal,” tweeted United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres from Seville, Spain, where temperatures were expected to hit 42°C (nearly 108°F) on Monday afternoon.

Reiterating his frequent calls for action to fight climate change, Mr Guterres added: “The planet is getting hotter and more dangerous — no country is immune.”

In France, local and national authorities were taking extra effort to care for homeless and elderly people and people working outside.

Authorities in Portugal issued a red heat warning for seven of 18 districts as temperatures were forecast to hit 43°C, a day after logging a record June temperature of 46.6°C.

In Turkey, forest fires forced the temporary closure of the airport in Izmir.

Authorities evacuated four villages as a precaution, the Forestry Ministry said.

In Italy, the Health Ministry put 21 cities under its level three “red” alert, which indicates “emergency conditions with possible negative effects” on healthy, active people as well as at-risk old people, children and chronically ill people.

Regional governments in north-west Liguria and southern Sicily in Italy put restrictions on outdoor work, such as construction and agricultural labour, during the peak heat hours.

In southern Germany, temperatures of up to 35°C were expected on Monday, and they were forecast to creep higher until midweek — going as high as 39°C on Wednesday.