Nearly 25,000 escape blaze sparked by southern European heatwave that has already killed hundreds of people * Extreme UK weather: latest updates Meteorologists have warned of a “heat apocalypse” in western France as more than 8,500 further people fled their homes to escape a large wildfire sparked by a searing southern European heatwave that has already caused hundreds of deaths. Nearly 25,000 people have been forced to abandon homes, holiday rentals and campsites for emergency shelters in the Gironde _département_ west of Bordeaux, with blazes in Spain, Portugal and Greece forcing thousands more to flee. Continue reading...