Spain and Portugal reported record temperatures Monday as Italy and France braced for several more days of a punishing heatwave that has gripped southern Europe and Britain, sparking health and wildfire warnings.

The summer's first major heatwave has seen authorities in the countries along the Mediterranean's northern coast urging people to seek shelter and protect the most vulnerable.

"This is unprecedented," Agnes Pannier-Runacher, France's ecology transition minister said as a record 84 of the nation's 96 mainland departments were placed on the second-highest "orange" heat alert.

Ambulances stood ready near tourist hotspots as experts warned that such heatwaves, intensified by climate change, would become more frequent.

Firefighters were also on standby after blazes broke out Sunday in France, Turkey and Italy, fed by the heat and strong winds.

Cities are offering different ways of staying cool, from free swimming pools in Marseille to free guided tours for the elderly in air-conditioned museums in Venice.

Temperatures in southern Spain soared to 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit)........

© International Business Times