Europe wilts under heat wave

A zookeeper waters down a bear at the zoo in St. Petersburg on July 15, 2010 in order to cool it off from the hot summer sun. The temperature in the city is 33 C. AFP PHOTO / KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV

A heat wave across much of Europe is causing crops to wither, forest fires to ignite and roads to melt, while refrigerators and fans are buckling in the searing sun.

From Russia’s Urals mountains to western Germany, a week of temperatures hovering stubbornly in the mid-30s C has baked northern parts of Europe, which are usually spared the heat of the Mediterranean — and forecasters are warning of more to come over the next week.

--The Associated Press