London firefighters train for rescues during extreme heatwave

As extreme heat brings more people towards rivers, lakes and open spaces,

firefighters in London are preparing for the dangers that come with water,

mud and the River Thames itself.

London Fire Brigade doesn't just respond to emergencies on streets,

in homes and across open land.

Along the river, firefighters have to deal with fast moving water,

shifting tides and mudflats that can trap people

before they realise they're in danger.

On this training exercise near Erith Pier in southeast London,

a fireboat crew is sent to rescue a volunteer casualty stuck in the mud.

Shaun Coltress, Deputy assistant commissioner at London Fire Brigade said

Water safety, especially in the summer is a growing problem for us and since 2018,

we have seen around 100 incidents,

attended to people or animals stuck in mud flats.

And Erith Pier where we are today is one of the most common places

we get called to,

but additionally we have Barking riverside, Newham and Greenwich,

are the areas where we see most of these calls.

The training comes after rare red heat warnings in the capital

with London Fire Brigade expecting hot weather to add pressure

across water rescues, mudflats incidents and wildfires.

In the French capital, swimming in the Seine is settling into a new Paris

summer ritual as the city opened three supervised bathing sites Saturday

for the second year.

Emma Carmichael, The Associated Press said

Only in Paris can you swim for free with a view on the Seine.

With the record-breaking heat a few weeks ago,

it became a challenge for Parisians to stay cool.

I'm here at Grenelle, one of four bathing sites opening to the public

for the summer.

With the water being at 24 degrees Celsius today

and warm weather coming back, swimming in the Seine is becoming one

of the most uniquely Parisian ways to beat the heat.

In Spain's Catalonia region,

hundreds of firefighters worked Saturday to contain a wildfire

that has burned some 2,300 hectares of land and forced about

9,700 residents to stay indoors.

Around 400 firefighters and 100 members of Spain's military Emergency

Unit were battling the blaze in the Les Gavarres hills in Girona province.

The fire destroyed a house and a farmhouse with no injuries reported.

Efforts are underway to stabilise the right flank of the fire

which poses the greatest risk to further spread.