Young boys prepare to dive in the Seine river, in Samois-sur-Seine, south of Paris, Friday, June 19, 2026. (AP Photo\/Thibault Camus)<\/small><\/p>\n
2026-06-21T04:00:46Z<\/p>\n
PARIS (AP) \u2014 France put emergency services and military forces on wildfire alert, restricted public alcohol consumption and canceled some outdoor sports events to cope with a heat wave<\/a><\/span> unfurling across parts of Europe. Multiple drowning deaths have been reported.<\/p>\n About a third of France is under the heat red alert Sunday and temperatures are<\/a><\/span> expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on Sunday in some areas, in a country where air-conditioning isn\u2019t widespread. The forecast for Monday is even hotter.<\/p>\n The Eiffel Tower and other Paris venues set up misting stations to cool crowds, among a raft of measures announced by national and local authorities to minimize risks. Tourists in Rome sought relief in fountains. Spain\u2019s Basque Country canceled some sports and cultural events. <\/p>\n More than 200,000 people across Europe died from heat-related causes over the last four years, and most of the fatalities were preventable, the World Health Organization\u2019s Europe office said this month. More above-average temperatures are expected this summer, which can cause heat exhaustion and life-threatening heat stroke<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n Human-caused climate change<\/a><\/span> is tied to increasing extreme weather events and U.N. climate agency projections say the next five years should shatter more heat records<\/a><\/span>. A rapid study found that human-caused climate change was responsible for killing about 1,500 people in an unusually early European heat wave last month.<\/p>\n In this latest European hot spell, French media reported that four children drowned Saturday.<\/p>\n France\u2019s annual Music Day on Sunday is of particular concern. The nationwide summer solstice celebration involves thousands of concerts in village squares, rave venues and Paris clubs, bringing communities together and increasingly drawing British and other international visitors.<\/p>\n The French government banned public drinking in \u2019\u2019red alert\u2033 zones, and ordered organizers of music day events to limit alcohol use to \u201cpreserve emergency services and allow medics to concentrate on taking care of the most vulnerable.\u201d<\/p>\n Some French trains were canceled, and the national rail authority dispatched thousands of extra staff to deal with potential problems as the heat threatened rails and electrical cables.<\/p>\nSolstice parties draw large crowds in extreme heat <\/h2>\n