Parts of Europe burn as millions are facing record heat

MADRID (AP) — Wildfires burned in parts of Europe on Tuesday as millions of people across the continent struggled to adapt to the new reality: record summer heat.

Temperatures in some areas soared past 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

Europe is warming faster than any other continent, at twice the speed of the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Last year was the hottest year on record in Europe and globally, the monitoring agency said.

Scientists warn climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, making parts of Europe more vulnerable to wildfires. The burning of fuels like gasoline, oil and coal releases heat-trapping gasses that are the main driver of climate change.

Outside Madrid, firefighters had largely contained a blaze that broke out Monday night, authorities said. It killed a man who suffered burns on 98% of his body, emergency services said.

Elsewhere, firefighters and nearly 1,000 soldiers were battling blazes in regions including Castile and Leon, Castile-La Mancha, Andalusia and Galicia. Thousands of people evacuated homes and hotels, including holiday-goers at beaches at the southern tip of Spain.

Regional authorities said Tuesday afternoon that some of those evacuated from beach locations could return to their hotels.

In Portugal, more than 700 firefighters were working to control a fire in the municipality of Trancoso, about 350 kilometers (217 miles) northeast of Lisbon. Smaller fires were burning further north.

Firefighters largely brought a major wildfire in northwest Turkey under control, the forestry minister announced, a day after the blaze prompted hundreds of evacuations and led to the suspension of maritime traffic.

The blaze broke out on agricultural land in Canakkale province. Fanned by strong winds, it rapidly spread to a forested area, then to a residential one. It forced the evacuation of 2,000 residents — some by sea — and led to 77 hospitalizations due to smoke exposure, officials said.

Firefighters were still battling two other wildfires in Manisa and Izmir provinces in western Turkey, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said on social media.

The national weather authority placed most of France’s southern region on the highest heat warning, with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) expected for the second consecutive day.

The heat will spread to the northeast, including the Paris region, Meteo France said.

Some municipalities offered free or discounted access to public swimming pools.

Most regions in central and southern France were monitored for the high risk of forest fires, after a deadly blaze last week in the Aude region. Officials said the fire was under control but will not be fully extinguished for weeks, with hot spots at risk of reigniting.

In Greece, seven major wildfires mostly in the west forced multiple evacuations, destroying homes and businesses, while flames reached the outskirts of the country’s third largest city.

The fire service scrambled resources to the port city of Patras where a forest fire burning through mountain forest threatened an industrial area.

High winds hindered firefighting efforts on the islands of Zakynthos and Kefalonia, where authorities were on standby to evacuate tourist resorts which were not in immediate danger.

Other severe fires burned in several areas on the western Greek mainland and on the island of Chios in the eastern Aegean Sea.

Nationwide, the civil protection service issued more than 20 mobile phone alerts Tuesday with evacuation orders and guidance.

Temperatures were expected to hit 34 Celsius (93.2 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday and Wednesday, especially in southern parts of England, including London.

Officials define a heat wave as temperatures exceeding 25 Celsius for most of the U.K. — and 28 Celsius in London and its surrounding area — for three consecutive days or more.

Associated Press writers Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Sylvia Hui in London and Derek Gatopoulos in Athens contributed to this report.

This version corrects a temperature conversion for 40 degrees Celsius.

Blazes burn trees during a wildfire in the village of Theriano near Patras city, western Greece, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Giannis Androutsopoulos)

Local farmer Turkan Ozkan cries next to her destroyed home after a fire in Guzelyeli, in the outskirts of Canakkale, northwest Turkey, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

A woman uses her beach chair to protect from the sun on the beach of Glyfada during another day with high temperatures and strong winds in southern Athens, Greece, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

A woman protects herself with an umbrella during a heat wave in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Burning trees are pictured during a wildfire in Carcastillo, northern Spain, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025. (Eduardo Sanz/Europa Press via AP)

A woman uses a fan to cool off Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025 in Toulouse, southwestern France. (AP Photo/Fred Scheiber)

A street vendor sells bottles of water during a heat wave in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

People sunbathe next to the Ada Ciganlija Lake in Belgrade, Serbia, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

BOSTON (AP) — When Zdeno Chara signed with the Boston Bruins in 2006, the No. 3 he wore early in his career had already been retired by the Original Six franchise.

So he picked No. 33 without giving it much thought.

“Little did I know how meaningful 33 was,” Chara said on Thursday night before his number was raised to the TD Garden rafters not far from where Larry Bird's No. 33 already hangs in Celtics green.

It is the 13th number retired by the Bruins, and the latest in a collection of Hall of Fame defenseman that runs from Eddie Shore to Bobby Orr to Raymond Bourque.

“It's a huge honor,” Chara told reporters. "I can’t explain to you how honored I feel. I’m humbled about being selected to be one of the numbers being retired. Being with that history, forever."

The 2009 Norris Trophy winner and a 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, Chara spent 14 of his 24 NHL seasons in Boston, leading the Bruins to the 2011 Stanley Cup championship. His 1,680 games is the most of any NHL defenseman; at 6 feet, 9 inches (2.06m), he is the tallest player in league history, and his 108.8 mph (175.1 kmh) slap shot in the 2012 skills competition remains the NHL record.

But his teammates and other Bruins attending Thursday's ceremony said Chara's biggest contribution was signing with a team that hadn't won a playoff series in six years — “the best decision I ever made” — and turning them into champions.

“Things really changed when Zee came here as a free agent,” Bourque said. "From that point on, the culture and everything that comes with that, and the success and the run that they had, he was such a big part of that.

“He’s a legend,” Bourque said. “He really deserves to be up there.”

Bourque was among the former Bruins greats in attendance, along with Orr — both of them, like Chara, Boston defensemen who finished their careers elsewhere on their way to the Hall of Fame. They arrived via gold carpet that led them past adoring fans and the statue of Orr flying through the air following his Cup-winning goal in the 1970 finals.

Other fellow retired number honorees in attendance included Cam Neely, Willie O’Ree, Rick Middleton, Terry O'Reilly and John Bucyk. The current Bruins sat on the bench, all wearing Chara jerseys.

Five members of the 2011 roster — Patrice Bergeron, Mark Recchi, Dennis Seidenberg, David Krejci and Tuukka Rask — carried the retired number onto the ice, and teammate Andrew Ference served as emcee.

In his speech, Chara read the names of every player on the Bruins last Cup winners. Asked why, he said after: “Without championships, you are not going to be successful, you’re not going to be recognized.

"The championships, that’s what they do. They raise everyone, they extend careers for everyone,” he explained. "They create dynasties. They create stories. They create memories. They created what we’re experiencing tonight.

"It’s very simple: Once you win the championship, everything gets so much better for everyone. And the most beautiful thing about it: You create extended families with each other. It’s true. You have bonds, you have friendships that are now still forever. It’s amazing; it’s like you’re seeing your brother. You trust the person; you know everything about them. And anytime anybody needs something, you’re there for them.

“That’s what winning championships do,” he said. “Not just for a career, but for the rest of your lives, it means something very special.”

The ceremony at center ice featured a “Big Zee” ice sculpture flanking the podium and a large No. 33 behind it. Fans were asked to get in their seats two hours early, and the full TD Garden erupted in a giant shout of “Zee!” followed by an extended cheer of “Thank you, Chara!”

A highlight video featured former Bruins Brad Marchand and current coach Marco Sturm, Chara's teammate from 2006-10. Many of them spoke of the way Chara led by example.

“He wasn’t really a ‘Rah, rah!’ guy,” former Bruins forward and current team president Neely said, “but when he spoke, it was with a purpose.”

And so, when it was time to raise his No. 33 to the rafters, Chara stood by with his wife, Tatiana, while their children — Zack, Ben and Elliz — pulled the ropes.

“That’s the biggest reward for me: To see my children and my family doing it instead of me. I think I get better joy watching them doing it than the joy of me doing it because it's so much more meaningful,” he explained. "They deserve that more than me."

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara speaks during his number retirement ceremony before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara leads his family over to his number "33" to raise it to the rafters before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara, center, waves to the crowd during his number retirement ceremony, as Bruins' players with their number already retired, from left, Willie O'Ree, Rick Middleton, Terrry O'Reilly, Cam Neely, emcee Andrew Ferrance and Bobby Orr look on before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara's number "33" is raised to the rafters at TD Garden before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Bobby Orr applauds, left bottom, as former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara waves to the crowd during his number retirement ceremony before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)