Italy limited work outdoors, France shut schools and Turkey battled wildfires on Tuesday in a European heatwave that meteorologists said was "exceptional" for striking so early this year.

A deadly wildfire has broken out in Spain and the top of the Eiffel Tower has been closed in Pairs – which was placed on red alert on Tuesday – as southern Europe swelters through a brutal heatwave.

The worst heat was felt in southern Europe, while punishing temperatures were forecast to reach 104 degrees Fahrenheit in Paris and remain unusually high in Belgium and the Netherlands.