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Hundreds of firefighters are battling wildfires in Spain's Catalonia region, as temperatures soared to 40 Celsius and above across parts of Europe.

Officials say the fires are the worst in the region for 20 years and may spread quickly.

Much of Europe is experiencing extreme heat. Germany, France, Poland and the Czech Republic have all recorded their highest ever June temperatures.

Meteorologists say hot air drawn in from northern Africa is the cause of the severe heat.

The heat is expected to rise further in many countries over the next three days, say weather forecasters.

France could break its all-time record on Friday. A temperature of 44.1C was recorded in the Gard region in August 2003, but temperatures could now go as high as 45C.

Gard is one of four southern regions to be placed on red alert - the highest crisis level. The others are Herault, Vaucluse and Bouches-du-Rhone.

At least 16,000 acres - that's around the same size as 8,000 football pitches - are affected by the wildfires, near the town of La Torre de l'Espanyol.

At least 45 people have been evacuated and five roads have been closed.

There have been no reports of casualties.

In total, 11 provinces in the east and centre of Spain have experienced or are set to experience temperatures above 40C. In parts of the north-east of Spain, they may reach 45C.

Temperatures are expected to top 40C in Italy too, particularly in central and northern regions. Several cities, including Rome, have issued the highest heat warnings.

Philip Trackfield, a British tourist in Rome, told the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳: "Last night at the Spanish steps it was 41C. It's exhausting when you're trying to do all the sights."

Meanwhile the whole of France - where a heatwave in 2003 was blamed for 15,000 deaths - is now on orange alert, the second-highest warning level.

In Paris, fountains and sprinklers connected to hydrants have been set up.

Some schools have delayed important exams and even closed.

Temperatures have been climbing in recent days. On Wednesday, Coschen in Germany peaked at 38.6C - a new German record for June.

Radzyn in Poland and Doksany in the Czech Republic also recorded new national highs, with temperatures hitting 38.2C and 38.9C respectively.

Even in the high-altitude Alps mountains, temperatures topped 30C in places.

Parts of Austria recorded their local all-time highest temperatures on Wednesday.

While the UK will avoid the worst of the heat, parts of the country - including London - are expected to see temperatures top 30C on Saturday.