<span style="color: #222222;">Almost the whole of Western Europe is now in the grip of a severe heat wave. <br />'' <br />'' Villevieille in France recorded 45.1 degree Celcius. The heatwave is sweeping across France, Spain, Italy and several other countries including Germany. <br />'' <br />'' Governments warned citizens to take extra precautions. French President Emmanuel Macron warned that such extreme weather is likely to become more frequent as a result of global warming. <br />'' <br />'' Meanwhile, in Spain's northeastern Catalonia region, a forest fire in Torre del Espanol raged out of control, devouring land despite the efforts of hundreds of firefighters. With temperatures expected to reach up to 42 degree Celcius today, Spain has issued a red level warning to its population.<br />'' <br />'' As Germans attempted to cool off amid scorching temperatures, at least four people died in bathing accidents in different parts of the country. <br />''<br />''Some areas of Germany were experiencing water shortages and some residents in the North Rhine-Westphalia state were told to only use drinking water for vital purposes or face a thousand euro fine.</span><br />