Waterbombing aircraft skimmed the river Seine as firefighters struggled ‌to contain a forest blaze south of Paris, raging into its third day on Tuesday amid a spreading heatwave that has left swathes of Europe primed for more wildfires.

As France battled flames, the third bout of extreme heat this season that is also affecting Britain ​and Spain continued its progression into Italy, where authorities were bracing for temperatures reaching 44 degrees Celsius (111.2 ​degrees Fahrenheit) in Sardinia this week.

According to the Reuters Climate Monitor, the average high of temperatures ⁠across Western Europe was 29.4 C on Tuesday, 6.3 C higher than the seasonal average high for July 14 recorded between ​1961 and 1990. The difference was most pronounced in Belgium and France, with seasonal highs deviating by as much ​as 9.4 C and 9.1 C.

Scientists say climate change is making such events more frequent and intense, leaving forests and scrubland across the continent primed to burn.

More than 10,000 excess deaths were recorded across Europe and Britain in the last ​two record-breaking heatwaves in May and late June, with scientists saying the only credible reason for the unusually high toll was ​heat-related.

"We expected this with this major drought," he added.

In Italy, a high-pressure system that has taken hold in Sardinia was anticipated to peak on Thursday and ⁠Friday, meteorologists ​said, with temperatures expected to reach 44 C in inland Sardinia, ​39 C in Florence, and 38 C in Rome. The incoming heat is accompanied by fine sand billowing in from North Africa, they said.

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