Scorched Europe battles deadly fires, Turkey shuts shipping lane

A volunteer stands outside a burning monastery, as a wildfire rages in Menidi, near Athens, Greece, August 23, 2023. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

ATHENS/ASAGIOKCULAR (Reuters) -Searing temperatures fuelled wildfires and prompted health warnings across Europe on Wednesday, as a blaze in Turkey forced the closure of the Dardanelles shipping lane and winds fanned the flames in Greece where 20 people have already been killed.

France, which widened its heatwave red alert in the south of the country, said it would scale back production at a nuclear power plant as high temperatures curbed cooling water supply.