France imposes alcohol ban and event cancellations amid extreme heat alert

France has placed roughly one-third of its territory under a red heat alert as temperatures are forecast to reach 104°F (40°C) on Sunday and rise further on Monday. In response, the government ordered a ban on public alcohol consumption in the affected zones and instructed organizers of the annual Music Day celebrations to restrict drinking, citing the need to preserve emergency services and allow medical personnel to focus on vulnerable populations.

The alert also triggered the deployment of emergency services and military units for wildfire readiness, the closure of 845 schools, and the cancellation of some French train services, with rail officials assigning additional staff to monitor heat-related risks to tracks and electrical systems. Prime Minister S\u00e9bastien Lecornu convened a heat-crisis meeting and called for longer-term adaptation measures, including the possible use of air conditioning in public facilities.

Across Europe, Spain’s Basque Country suspended outdoor sports and cultural events, while Italy expanded red-flag warnings to eight cities in the north and centre. In the United Kingdom, the Met Office issued an extreme-heat warning for southern England and parts of Wales, forecasting temperatures near 95°F. Germany reported temperatures in the mid-90s and a drowning incident in a lake near Rheinstetten.

Health officials warned that heat waves pose a serious risk, especially to elderly residents and those without air-conditioning, referencing past fatalities such as the 2003 French heat wave that claimed about 15,000 lives. The World Health Organization’s Europe office noted that over 200,000 heat-related deaths have occurred across the continent in the past four years, most of which were preventable.