BERLIN (AP) — France experienced approximately 1,000 additional deaths last week amid a record-breaking heat wave, according to the country’s public health agency on Sunday. Meanwhile, other parts of Europe faced new temperature peaks, causing wildfires in Germany and prompting Berlin police to use water cannons to cool the crowds.
Temperature records fell in several countries over the weekend as the heat wave gradually moved eastward across the continent.
In Germany, a new nighttime temperature record was set in Kubschütz, Saxony, where the temperature did not fall below 29.4 degrees Celsius (84.9 Fahrenheit) on Sunday. This followed a daytime high of 41.5 C (106.7 F) in Möckern-Drewitz, Saxony-Anhalt, according to preliminary data from the German Weather Service DWD, surpassing the previous record set the day before.
A new study by the World Weather Attribution, a European scientific collaboration, reported on Friday that the extreme heat and humidity in Europe this week would not have been possible without climate change.
The rapid analysis found that such heat would have been nearly impossible five decades ago and is now 200 times more likely than it was 20 years ago.
France records surge in deaths during heat wave
France witnessed a spike in deaths last week at the height of its record-breaking heat wave, with a notable rise in calls to private homes, particularly in the Paris region, according to the national public health agency on Sunday.
On Wednesday, as France endured its hottest temperatures on record, there were over 1,200 deaths, which increased to more than 1,400 on each of the following two days, Public Health France reported.
Prior to the heat wave, in April and May, France’s daily death rate was around 900 to 1,000, the agency noted.
The agency estimated that France experienced at least 1,000 additional deaths during those three days alone, a figure that is expected to rise as more data, including deaths at home, is collected.
The sharpest increase in deaths occurred in areas under red extreme heat warnings, which covered about three-quarters of the country at the peak of the heat wave. The agency stated that 85% of the deaths involved individuals aged 65 and older.
Heat sparks wildfires in forests contaminated with WWII ammunition
In Gohrischheide, in eastern Germany, a fire erupted in a large forest still contaminated with World War II ammunition, complicating the firefighters’ efforts to extinguish the flames.
Similarly, a significant firefighting operation was underway in southwest Germany near Traisen, where the heat ignited a forest fire in an area that also contained unexploded ordnance. Firefighting efforts were briefly halted after explosions occurred, and an ordnance disposal unit was brought in to continuously assess the situation, according to the German news agency dpa.
Additionally, fire departments in major cities were busy dispatching ambulances to those suffering from heat-related illnesses. In Berlin, there were an extra 500 ambulance dispatches reported on Saturday, most of which were related to the heat.
Berlin police uses water cannons to cool down locals and tourists
The Berlin police employed a novel approach to assist suffering locals and tourists. They set up two large water cannons, typically used to disperse unruly protesters, in front of the city’s iconic Brandenburg Gate, spraying cool water over the cheering crowd.
The heat continued to impact the country’s infrastructure, causing the concrete surface on numerous highways to break up and prompting a weekend warning from national rail operator Deutsche Bahn to avoid all unnecessary train travel.
In Leipzig, located in eastern Germany, no trams will operate until early Monday morning due to heat damage to tracks and switches. The Leipzig Public Transportation Authority explained that the high temperatures had caused the joint sealant for asphalt and concrete in switches and tracks to run and clump together in numerous locations throughout the city’s network.
Greece is on alert for high fire risk, while Denmark is hit by thunderstorms
In Greece, located in southeastern Europe, the country’s Civil Protection agency issued a “very high fire risk” warning for five regions on Sunday.
Wildfires pose a particular challenge in Greece, which features a dry mountainous mainland and over 100 inhabited islands. This situation has led authorities to adopt innovative space technology to help promptly extinguish them.
In Denmark, located in northern Europe, which set new temperature records on Saturday, the extreme heat was succeeded by heavy thunderstorms.
By Sunday morning, the country had recorded 1,156 lightning strikes, according to public broadcaster DR.
Leicester reported from Paris.
