A road sign reads "Extreme Heat, Plan your journey, Carry water", warning motorists about the heatwave forecast for July 18 and 19, on the M11 motorway north of London on July 17, 2022. (DAMIEN MEYER / AFP)

MADRID/LISBON – Britain was heading for its highest temperatures on record and firefighters battled blazes across southern Europe as a heatwave sent people hunting for shade and compounded fears about climate change.

In Spain, a wildfire raced across a field and engulfed a excavator near the northern town of Tabara, forcing the driver to run for his life as flames burned the clothes off his back.

A firefighter tackles a forest fire around the village of Eiriz in Baiao, north of Portugal, on July 15, 2022. (PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP)

In southern Europe there were some signs conditions were starting to ease after days of blistering highs that have caused hundreds of deaths and left the countryside dangerously dry, authorities said

In Portugal, half the municipality of Murca was on fire and the bodies of an elderly couple trying to flee had been found inside a "completely charred vehicle," the mayor told local broadcaster SIC.

In southern Europe there were some signs conditions were starting to ease after days of blistering highs that have caused hundreds of deaths and left the countryside dangerously dry, authorities said.

But the heatwave was moving north.

Belgium and Germany are expecting the heatwave to hit them in coming days, while temperatures nudged 38C in southern England on Monday and are forecast to hit a record-breaking 40C on Tuesday, according to Britain's Meteorological Office.

British train companies canceled services and some schools closed while officials urged the public to stay home and the government triggered a "national emergency" alert.

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Flights were suspended at Luton airport after staff identified a "runway defect". The hot weather had melted the runway at the Royal Air Force's Brize Norton air base, Sky News reported.

This AFP graphic dated July 19, 2022 shows the temperature forecasts for Europe from July 19-21, according to the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.

Sales of electric fans, hoses, air conditioning units and sprinklers are soaring, retailers said.

"We hoped we wouldn't get to this situation but for the first time ever we are forecasting greater than 40C in the UK," said climate attribution scientist at the Met Office, Dr Nikos Christidis.

Flights were suspended at Luton airport after staff identified a "runway defect". The hot weather had melted the runway at the Royal Air Force's Brize Norton air base, Sky News reported

"Climate change has already influenced the likelihood of temperature extremes in the UK. The chances of seeing 40C days in the UK could be as much as 10 times more likely in the current climate than under a natural climate unaffected by human influence," he said.

'We have nothing'

Wildfires raged across Portugal, Spain and France and authorities warned there was a risk of more as tinder-dry conditions persisted.

Spain was facing the last day of a more than week-long heatwave, which has caused more than 510 heat-related deaths, according to estimates from the Carlos III Health Institute.

ALSO READ: Health warnings issued as heatwave scorches Europe

In Tabara, locals said the driver of the excavator – a man they identified as Angel Martin Arjona – had been trying to dig a trench between the fire and buildings.

But orange flames surrounded the vehicle. TV footage showed him emerging from the blaze, tripping, then scrambling to his feet as people shouted out to him and a firefighter ran up to help.

People cool off in an urban beach at Madrid Rio park in Madrid, Spain on July 13, 2022. (MANU FERNANDEZ / AP)

Spain was facing the last day of a more than week-long heatwave, which has caused more than 510 heat-related deaths, according to estimates from the Carlos III Health Institute

The driver was airlifted to hospital with burns, witnesses said, though there were no detailed reports on his condition.

In El Pont de Vilomara in Catalonia, evacuees gathered outside a civic centre, among them retiree Onofre Munoz, 69, who said that his home and van had been completely destroyed.

"We bought the van when I retired and now it's totally scorched. We have nothing," he said.

ALSO READ: Portugal, Spain scramble to put out wildfires amid heatwave

EU sends support

In Portugal, temperatures dropped over the weekend, but the risk of wildfires remained very high, the Portuguese Institute of Meteorology said.

Around 1,000 firefighters, backed by 284 vehicles and 18 aircraft, were battling 10 wildfires, mainly in northern regions, authorities said.

Kids jump from a bridge to swim in the Canal St Martin, during a heatwave in Paris on July 18, 2022. (LEWIS JOLY / AP)

In Portugal, temperatures dropped over the weekend, but the risk of wildfires remained very high, the Portuguese Institute of Meteorology said

The EU sent a firefighting plane to Slovenia over the weekend, adding to recent deployments to France and Portugal.

"We continue of course to monitor the situation during this unprecedented heatwave and will continue to mobilise support as needed," spokesperson Balazs Ujvari told a briefing.

The bloc is in talks with manufacturers to buy more firefighting planes, the EU head of crisis management told Reuters.

In the Gironde region in southwestern France, fires had destroyed 14,800 hectares, local authorities said on Monday. More than 14,000 people have been evacuated from the area. France has issued red alerts, the highest possible, for several regions, with residents urged "to be extremely vigilant".

In Italy, where smaller fires have blazed, forecasters expect temperatures above 40C in several regions in coming days.

READ MORE: In hottest city on Earth, mothers bear brunt of climate change

Switzerland also suffered the effects of the heatwave. Axpo, the operator of the Beznau nuclear plant, said on Monday it was forced to reduce output so that it does not overheat the Aare river from which it draws its cooling water.