Irish tourists travelling abroad in the coming weeks have been warned after unprecedented heat has taken hold of some of Ireland's most popular holiday destinations.
Spain, Italy, France, Greece and the UK have all been experiencing record-breaking temperatures, with some areas reaching a scorching 43C.
The sizzling heat has led to outbreaks of devastating forest fires throughout the continent as emergency services struggle to keep the blazes under control and evacuate residents.
READ MORE: Husband phoned by distraught wife as house goes up in flames with pets inside amid heatwave
Here is the current situations in Spain, Italy, France and Greece.
Spain
The wave of forest fires that have been raging in Spain since last week is not letting up.
The fires continue to devastate thousands of hectares across the country.
According to the data provided by the regions, in the last week, the fires have burnt more than 30,000 hectares and caused thousands of people to leave their homes.
Central and north-western Spain have been the worst affected as fire engulfs the countryside.
According to Aemet, the state weather agency, the heatwave officially ended on Monday, but the situations in Galicia, Extremadura and Castilla y León are still of concern.
On Tuesday, Renfe was forced to suspend trains between Madrid and Galicia due to the flames in the provinces of Zamora and Ourense.
Italy
Wildfires have broken out in several parts of Italy this week as temperatures continued to rise.
Fire brigades in Tuscany battled a wildfire on Wednesday that forced hundreds to evacuate and caused gas tanks to explode, as smoke from a blaze in northeast Italy forced shipbuilder Fincantieri to shut down a 3,000-staff plant.
Nine cities are now on the country's highest heatwave alert, which warns of serious health risks linked to the weather.
The total will rise to 14 on Thursday, including Rome, Milan and Florence.
Temperatures are expected to hit 40C across the north and centre this week and in the southern heel of Italy's boot, Puglia, and the islands of Sardinia and Sicily.
France
In France, wildfires had spread over 11,000 hectares (27,000 acres) in the south-western region of Gironde.
Regional authorities said more than 14,000 people were evacuated from their homes on Sunday afternoon, and officials have announced plans to evacuate an additional 3,500 people from towns threatened by raging flames.
Around 1,200 firefighters were trying to control the blazes, the authorities said in a statement.
The French Government issued red alerts, the highest possible, for several regions, with residents urged "to be extremely vigilant".
Meanwhile, authorities in the French Alps have urged climbers bound for Mont Blanc, Europe's highest mountain, to postpone their trips due to repeated rock falls caused by "exceptional climatic conditions" and drought.
Greece
Greece has deployed planes and helicopters to stop wildfires from spreading to mountainside suburbs north of Athens.
Nearly 500 firefighters, 120 vehicles, three planes and four helicopters have been ordered into action to battle the flames from approaching areas such as Gerakas, which is home to 29,000 people.
The wildfires on the foot of Mount Penteli north of Athens were fanned overnight by winds constantly changing direction, a spokesman for the firefighters said.
Residents in several areas, a paediatric hospital and the national observatory at Athens were evacuated as a precautionary measure and traffic was suspended on parts of a ring road around Athens.
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