as possible record-breaking high temperatures are forecast in the next few days.

It will be the second extreme heat wave to hit southern Europe this year, intensified by global warming.

On the Spanish island of La Palma, fires are burning out of control.

And in Italy, people are being advised to stay indoors.

Sofia Bettiza has the very latest.

Engulfed by smoke and fire, this was La Palma in the Canaries today.

The wildfire here has forced more than 4,000 people from their homes.

Hundreds of firefighters are still struggling to bring the blaze under control.

Difficult. It was a bit difficult because of the shifting wind and the heat of the last days.

But we're holding on.

In Italy, an anticyclone could push temperatures above 45 degrees.

It's been named Karen, the one who carries the dead in mythology.

There have been red-alert heat warnings in 16 Italian cities today.

The Italian weather agency say they've never seen anything like this in terms of intensity, duration, and number of areas affected.

Locals and tourists here are being urged to take this seriously, to stay indoors in the afternoon, stay hydrated, and take care of the elderly.

And it's not just Europe⏤in the US, millions of Americans have been experiencing extreme temperatures, too.

This is the Death Valley in California.

It's one of the hottest places on earth, and it could be about to set a new record.

The official record is 134 degrees Fahrenheit; that was all the way back in 1913.

There is some controversy around that, but it is still recognized as the hottest, reliably-recorded temperature on Earth.

But we haven't hit 130 here in Death Valley for over... really, for over 100 years we didn't hit it.

And then, in 2020, we got 130; in 2021, we got 130; and then, we might hit it again this weekend.

Last year, more than 60,000 people died across Europe because of soaring temperatures.

And, with this heat wave expected to continue well into next week, there is no respite in sight.

Sofia Bettiza, BBC News, Rome.