Heatwave Lucifer is making life hellish

A fountain provides relief from Romania's searing temperatures. Photo / AP

A heatwave nicknamed "Lucifer" has seen temperatures soar to more than 40C across Europe, causing wildfires, drought, and chaos.

Greece, Croatia, Italy, France and Spain are among countries labouring under intense heat, in Europe's hottest summer for a decade. The European weather hub Meteoalarm has issued its highest grade "red" warnings for 10 countries.

Jacqui Noble, a Scot who has lived in the south of France for 20 years, said while the heat was "energy-sapping", her worst fear was forest fires. "There have been two close to me, and you still see people, mainly tourists, flicking cigarette butts out of cars," she said.

The heat in Florence, Italy, was so fierce that the world-famous Uffizi Gallery closed for the day when the air conditioning system broke down. Meanwhile, Italian wine growers have started gathering the grape harvest weeks earlier than usual due to the extreme heat.

Twenty six major towns and cities across Italy, including Rome and Palermo, are now on the health ministry's list for maximum alert.

"The red alert indicates emergency conditions with possible negative effects on healthy and active people, not only groups at risk like the elderly, small children and people with chronic illnesses," said the health ministry.

Tourists were being advised to take extra care in the hot weather as one wildfire in Abruzzo claimed a woman's life. The 79-year-old was found dead in a field next to her Sant'Omero home, having been overcome by flames that destroyed 2ha of surrounding farmland.

Hospital admissions in Italy have risen 15 per cent in the past few days and the Government was expected to declare a state of emergency in 11 regions.

The bodies of two elderly mountaineers were also found in Val Rosandra near Trieste, late Thursday. They are believed to have lost their foothold and spent hours hanging off a cliff before dying of exposure in the heat.

Several fires were burning in Sicily and France's national weather agency Meteo France has issued 15 departments with an orange alert. Meanwhile, 33 of Spain's 50 provinces are on alert over the soaring temperatures, which have broken records in several parts of the country and are predicted to reach up to 43C in some places.