Paris — A heat wave gripping parts of Europe sent temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius (109.4 Fahrenheit) in southern France and the Western Balkans on Monday, fueling wildfires, triggering top-level weather alerts and forcing evacuations in several countries across what scientists warn is the world’s fastest-warming continent.

A blistering heatwave gripped southwest France on Monday, sending thermometers soaring to 43 degrees Celsius in parts of the Charente and Aude

In Aude, a region of vineyards and Mediterranean scrubland, hundreds of firefighters remain on hillsides, guarding the edges of a massive blaze that scorched 16,000 hectares last week. Officials state the flames are under control,

Temperatures climbed above 100 F from Portugal to France to the Balkans, while half of Europe was battling its fourth consecutive month of drought.

Wildfires burned in parts of Europe on Tuesday as millions of people across the continent struggled to adapt to the new reality: record summer heat. Temperatures in some areas soared past 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).