Wildfire near Lake Garda forces evacuations as heatwave grips the Alps

At least 200 people have been evacuated after a wildfire broke out near Italy's Lake Garda, according to Al Jazeera, as the region grapples with a summer of extreme heat and dry conditions. The blaze is the latest in a series of wildfires across Europe this season, following similar outbreaks in France and elsewhere on the continent.

The fire comes as a heatwave has set a national temperature record in Austria, just north of the Italian border, and has disrupted energy and transportation systems across Europe, CBS News reported this week. The combination of record temperatures and prolonged drought has left Alpine and pre-Alpine vegetation dangerously dry, creating conditions for fast-spreading fires.

Lake Garda, which straddles the border between the regions of Trentino-Alto Adige, Veneto and Lombardy, is one of Italy's most popular tourist destinations, drawing millions of visitors each summer. The evacuations near its northern shores, close to the Trentino side of the lake, underscore how the heatwave is testing the region's tourism economy and emergency services.