Thousands of residents in northern France were left without electricity as a severe heatwave gripped western Europe. Authorities rushed to restore power after outages linked to a transformer incident. The disruption increased risks for vulnerable populations and strained critical services during extreme temperatures.
French officials said healthcare facilities and other essential sites were being prioritised for power restoration. Emergency generators were supplied to retirement homes to protect elderly residents from dangerous heat conditions. Authorities stressed that the incident was accidental and no injuries were reported.
The outages came as record-breaking temperatures swept across Europe. In several regions, temperatures reached levels far above seasonal norms, disrupting transport services and forcing schools and tourist attractions to close. Weather agency Meteo France said current conditions resemble the deadly 2003 heatwave that caused tens of thousands of excess deaths across the continent.
Meanwhile, governments and businesses across Europe introduced emergency measures to cope with the extreme weather. Construction firms adjusted working hours, retailers faced surging demand for cooling equipment, and farmers shifted harvesting operations to nighttime. In Britain, power operators increased electricity supply preparations while health authorities issued a rare red heat alert warning of risks to life.
Italy also placed 16 cities under its highest heat warning as forecasters predicted even hotter conditions in coming days. Experts said temperatures could exceed 41 degrees Celsius in some regions, while humidity could push perceived temperatures much higher. Scientists have warned that Europe is warming faster than the global average, making prolonged and intense heatwaves increasingly common.