Extreme heat has gripped countries including France, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain, with record temperatures, health alerts and wildfires.

ROME—Major heat waves across southern Europe have pushed temperatures above 40 C (104 F) in countries including Italy, Spain and Greece, as local authorities issued fresh warnings against the risk of wildfires.

Heatwaves have pushed temperatures above 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in countries across Europe, including Spain, Greece, Portugal and Italy. Firefighters battled a wildfire near Athens late last week,