Southern Europe’s latest bout of extreme heat is setting records and straining emergency services on both sides of the Pyrenees. Spain’s national weather office, AEMET, said the 16-day heatwave that ended on 17 August was the most intense since measurements began, with temperatures averaging 4.6 °C above a typical heatwave and approaching 45 °C in several provinces. The prolonged spell has been blamed for at least four deaths and helped ignite wildfires that have scorched more than 400,000 hectares—Spain’s largest burned area in any year since 2006—prompting the military to support overstretched firefighters. In neighbouring France, the same blistering conditions drove people to beaches and rivers, contributing to a sharp rise in drownings. Health agency Santé publique France counted 1,013 drownings between 1 June and 13 August, up 14 % from a year earlier. Of these incidents, 268 were fatal, and deaths among children and adolescents rose to 37 from 28 in 2024. Sea-related fatalities jumped 40 %, while a surveillance period coinciding with the first major heatwave—from 19 June to 6 July—saw drowning deaths soar 139 % compared with 2024. Meteorological services in both countries warn that climate change is making heatwaves earlier, longer and more intense, a trend reflected in 2025’s designation as France’s third-hottest summer on record. Authorities are reinforcing wildfire response capacity and urging the public to follow water-safety advice and heat-health guidance as Europe braces for further extreme weather episodes.