Wildfires ravage parts of southern Europe

French authorities have saved more people from a large forest fire burning near Bordeaux as high temperatures continue to scorch southern Europe.

The fire in Teste-de-Buch has intensified and threatened campsites, the local authority said in a statement on Sunday. More than 14,000 people in the area have already had to leave their homes or holiday residences because of the fire.

The flames destroyed 10,500 hectares of land and are being driven by high winds and extra dry land. Firefighters have been trying to control the flames since Tuesday.

Neighbouring countries are suffering similar situations with environmentalists blaming climate change for temperatures of around 40 degrees Celsius.

Media reports say hundreds of people have died in Spain and Portugal because of the high temperatures, with wild fires also causing big problems.

A pilot of a firefighting aircraft also died in a crash in northeastern Portugal on Friday.

In the Italian resort of Bibione, people had to be saved from the sea by the coastguard over the weekend after they escaped the land due to fire.

Greece and Morocco are also battling forest fires.

Starting on Monday, a "red warning" for extreme heat goes into effect across England as temperatures could hit 40 degrees Celsius for the first time.