Dozens of wildfires strike in European heatwave

Paris had its hottest day of the heatwave, with a high of 38C. Photo / AP

Hundreds of firefighters battled new wildfires in France and Spain as the European heatwave claimed three more lives in Italy.

More than 700 firefighters fought to bring 60 separate fires under control in the southern French département of Gard. At least 15 homes were destroyed.

In Spain, fire crews contained 90 per cent of the worst wildfire in 20 years that had raged across 60 sq km in Catalonia, but two other wildfires were still burning in the central region.

Britons fled for their lives as the wildfire encircled their rural homes in Catalonia.

A woman shelters from the sun with an umbrella during a hot summer day, in Pamplona, northern Spain. Photo / AP

"I thought I was going to die," said Eve Sweeney. "I tried to walk away from the fire, but it was coming back around me. I walked for about 5km with my dog, and we got lucky." She took refuge with 30 other evacuees at a school in the village of Flix. The fire devastated almost 6,070ha of land.

"I don't know what's left of my home, if anything. I think maybe it's gone," Sweeney added. "I know both my car and my camper van have gone."

As the south of France cooled, authorities lifted the red alert which had been declared for the first time when the temperature hit a national record of 45.9C. But Paris had its hottest day of the heatwave, with a high of 38C.

Many Parisians stayed indoors, but the more adventurous swam in the Canal Saint Martin. Stocks of electric fans were quickly exhausted.

The torrid heat has scorched vineyards in southern France, causing up to 40 per cent of grapes to wither on the vines in the Languedoc region.

In Italy, three people were reported to have died of heat-related causes. Milan saw sporadic power blackouts as the demand for air conditioning strained the electricity supply.