Italy fights more than 500 fires as record temperatures hit Sicily

Deaths of four people blamed on wildfires and heatwave

A fire burning through a forest near Mandas, in the south of the island of Sardinia, Italy, one of many that swept through Southern Europe and other parts of the Mediterranean this summer. Reuters

Large parts of southern Italy and the wider Mediterranean are experiencing a searing heatwave, which in turn has sparked a series of wildfires. Here, water is dumped on a fire in Petralia Soprana, near Palermo, Sicily. AP

Fire turns the sky a vivid orange near Mandas, southern Sardinia. AP

Four people across southern Italy are thought to have been killed by fires. Pictured here is the Sicilian town of Giarratana burning. Reuters

A man cools off in a fountain at Piazza della Rotonda in Rome in a heatwave that has also devastated parts of Greece, Turkey and Algeria, where deaths and evacuations have been commonplace over the past few days. AFP

A thermometer outside a pharmacy reads 44°C in central Rome. AFP via Getty Images

A boy seeks respite from the sweltering heat at Barcaccia fountain near the Spanish Steps in Rome. Italy is fighting more than 500 fires as a record temperature of nearly 49°C was recorded in Sicily. Reuters

Residents and tourists seek refreshment and shade on another brutally hot day in the Italian capital. EPA

Tourists are sprayed with water by a fan in Rome. EPA

A volunteer distributes free bottles of water to tourists near the Colosseum in Rome. AP

Firefighters in Italy were on Thursday battling more than 500 blazes, a day after Sicily reported record temperatures of nearly 49°C.

The wildfires have been blamed for the deaths of four people. If confirmed, the extreme heat in Syracuse, Sicily on Wednesday would be the highest temperature recorded in Europe.

The previous record of 48°C was measured in Athens, Greece on July 19, 1977.

Firefighters, aided by five water-dropping planes, said they had carried out more than 500 operations in the past 12 hours, mainly in Sicily and Calabria in the south. The situation was now “under control” on the island, they said.

There were reports of trees and land burning in the Madonie mountains about 100 kilometres from the Sicilian capital of Palermo, and in the town of Linguaglossa, on the slopes of the Etna volcano.

The wider Mediterranean area is buckling under a searing heatwave, which has led to devastating wildfires in countries such as Greece, Turkey and Algeria.

The high temperatures are expected to continue for several days in Italy.

The country's Health Ministry has issued its two highest level heatwave warnings for much of central and southern Italy. Health officials also urged people to be mindful of the effects the heat could have on animals.