A heatwave gripping parts of Europe sent temperatures over 40C in southern France and the Western Balkans on Monday, fuelling wildfires, triggering top-level weather alerts and forcing evacuations in several countries across what scientists warn is the world's fastest-warming continent.

By David Latona and Pietro Lombardi MADRID/PODGORICA (Reuters) -Firefighters across Spain, Portugal, Greece, Turkey and the Balkans were battling wildfires on Tuesday, with another heatwave pushing temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) across parts of Europe.

A new fire in Rio Blanco County near its border with Routt County is burning 300 acres near Crosho Lake and has prompted campground evacuations and pre-evacuation orders for nearby homes.

A state prison in rural western Colorado has been evacuated due to a massive fire that has spread to more than 110,000 acres, state authorities said Sunday. The Lee Fire is now the fifth-largest blaze in the Colorado’s history,

A fast-growing wildfire in Colorado has forced the evacuation and relocation of over 179 inmates from the Rifle Correctional Center to the Buena Vista Correctional Complex. No injuries were reported,