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As temperatures begin to touch scorching tropical levels, France finds itself facing a blazing summer that has left a third of its territory gasping, prompting major tourist landmarks to close early for fear the streets will turn into open ovens and sudden fires.

The French weather service has declared a maximum 'red alert' in the capital Paris and vast areas in the west of the country, warning that this record heatwave will continue until the middle of next week. The decision came after thermometers broke the 40°C barrier in several cities, and approached 37°C in central Paris.

This suffering is not limited to France alone; several European countries have been buckling under an unprecedented heatwave for weeks, forcing governments to take strict preventive measures including canceling sports events and tourist activities, in an attempt to control the crisis and protect the population from weather that has come to resemble equatorial conditions.