Italy limited work outdoors, France shut schools and Turkey battled wildfires on Tuesday in a European heatwave that meteorologists said was "exceptional" for striking so early this year. Spain confirmed its hottest June on record,

More than a thousand schools were closed in France on Tuesday and the top floor of the Eiffel Tower was shut to tourists as a severe heatwave continued to grip Europe, triggering health alerts across the region.

The extreme heat increased the risk of field fires as farmers in France, the EU’s largest grain producer, begin harvesting this year’s crop.