Bathing in fountains, new speed limits, and running naked down the freezer aisle: Here are all the ways people are trying to keep cool in Europe's heat wave

Jun 26, 2019, 18:59 IST

France is already heating up, with southern France expecting temperatures as high as 45 C (113 F) on Friday. The government is encouraging people to cool off in the water several times a day.

French hospitals and ambulances are expecting a spike in calls. "Nobody is a superman when it comes to dealing with the extreme heat," health minister Agnès Buzyn told reporters Monday, according to The Local.

French hospitals and ambulances are expecting a spike in calls. "Nobody is a superman when it comes to dealing with the extreme heat," health minister Agnès Buzyn told reporters Monday, according to The Local.

French authorities delayed the national brevet exams for 15-year-olds, which were to take place on Thursday and Friday, saying it was "unthinkable" to make them sit the tests in the heat.

Many swimming pools in Paris are extending their opening hours, and Mayor Anne Hidalgo said she would open temporary pools in denser parts of the city.

Parisian officials are also setting up mist machines across the city. This is a stock photo from several years ago.

A 32-year-old man in Hemer, western Germany, stripped naked and ran through the frozen aisle in a supermarket, local media reported.

Elsewhere in the country, some other people cooled off by more conventional means. These people are by the River Danube in Regensburg, southeast Germany, on Tuesday.

In Spain, where temperatures are expected to rise above 36 C (95 F), many people took advantage of public fountains.

The heat wave has claimed some victims already. Three people in Hérault, a department in southern France, died of cold shock after jumping into cold water to escape the heat.

Even animals are trying to escape the heat. This polar bear at a zoo in the western German city of Gelsenkirchen, named Nanook, jumped into the water on Tuesday.

This lemur in Rome's Bioparco zoo sucked on a fruit icicle on Tuesday. Zookeepers there often give animals ice lollies with either fruit or meat inside on hot days, according to the AP.

This orangutan at Schoenbrunn zoo in Vienna played with water on Tuesday.

Staff members there are working hard to provide heat relief to their orangutans, and the animals are "loving it," zookeeper Fredi Maier told The Associated Press.

Meanwhile, this orangutan at the same zoo hoped to get some relief from the sun by hiding under a blanket on Tuesday.

Vehicles could also be affected. Transport authorities in Germany's eastern Saxony-Anhalt state imposed speed limits on several short stretches of the autobahn to prevent heat damage.

Parts of eastern Germany have already seen little rain, and are at risk of drought and wildfires. Authorities have already deployed helicopters to battle forest fires.

Weather authorities in the Czech Republic warned that the heat might damage train tracks.

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Bathing in fountains, new speed limits, and running naked down the freezer aisle: Here are all the ways people are trying to keep cool in Europe's heat wave

France is already heating up, with southern France expecting temperatures as high as 45 C (113 F) on Friday. The government is encouraging people to cool off in the water several times a day.

French hospitals and ambulances are expecting a spike in calls. "Nobody is a superman when it comes to dealing with the extreme heat," health minister Agnès Buzyn told reporters Monday, according to The Local.

French authorities delayed the national brevet exams for 15-year-olds, which were to take place on Thursday and Friday, saying it was "unthinkable" to make them sit the tests in the heat.

Many swimming pools in Paris are extending their opening hours, and Mayor Anne Hidalgo said she would open temporary pools in denser parts of the city.

Parisian officials are also setting up mist machines across the city. This is a stock photo from several years ago.

A 32-year-old man in Hemer, western Germany, stripped naked and ran through the frozen aisle in a supermarket, local media reported.

Elsewhere in the country, some other people cooled off by more conventional means. These people are by the River Danube in Regensburg, southeast Germany, on Tuesday.

In Spain, where temperatures are expected to rise above 36 C (95 F), many people took advantage of public fountains.

The heat wave has claimed some victims already. Three people in Hérault, a department in southern France, died of cold shock after jumping into cold water to escape the heat.

Even animals are trying to escape the heat. This polar bear at a zoo in the western German city of Gelsenkirchen, named Nanook, jumped into the water on Tuesday.

This lemur in Rome's Bioparco zoo sucked on a fruit icicle on Tuesday. Zookeepers there often give animals ice lollies with either fruit or meat inside on hot days, according to the AP.

This orangutan at Schoenbrunn zoo in Vienna played with water on Tuesday.

Staff members there are working hard to provide heat relief to their orangutans, and the animals are "loving it," zookeeper Fredi Maier told The Associated Press.

Meanwhile, this orangutan at the same zoo hoped to get some relief from the sun by hiding under a blanket on Tuesday.

Vehicles could also be affected. Transport authorities in Germany's eastern Saxony-Anhalt state imposed speed limits on several short stretches of the autobahn to prevent heat damage.

Parts of eastern Germany have already seen little rain, and are at risk of drought and wildfires. Authorities have already deployed helicopters to battle forest fires.

Weather authorities in the Czech Republic warned that the heat might damage train tracks.