[Church:] Welcome back, everyone. Well, across Western Europe, hotter than average temperatures have been making life miserable for millions of people. More than that in Portugal, the heat is stoking forest fires which are threatening dozens of villages. CNN's Ian Lee is covering this for us. He joins us now live. So Ian, what is the latest on these fires and how is the government dealing with them specifically in Portugal?
[Ian Lee, Cnn International Correspondent:] Rosemary, these fires are still continuing to rage. You have hundreds of firefighters, over 700 battling them as we speak. Also, over a dozen aircraft trying to keep them under control. But, Rosemary, fire needs three things. You need oxygen, heat, and fuel. And with these high temperatures, it's definitely bringing the heat and it's drying out this foliage which is making it very difficult for these firefighters to bring these massive blazes under control.
[Lee:] A wall of flame rages on the Spanish-Portuguese border. Hundreds of firefighters battle the blaze fuelled by drought and hot air from Africa. Aircraft struggle to keep the flame at bay. All the while, residents keep watch ready to flee as the inferno moves closer.
[Unidentified Female:] We have the cars ready. We always have everything ready like extinguishers, hoses, anything to be ready to act.
[Lee:] Portuguese authorities already evacuated two villages seeking to prevent more deaths after two massive fires killed dozens last year. Europe is in the grips of an extreme heat wave sparking wildfires from Greece to Sweden. The continent is experiencing near record breaking temperatures. Some places soaring to 47 degrees Celsius just shy of the 48 set in Athens in 1977. The beach offers little relief to those escaping the heat.
[Unidentified Male:] It's very hot. During the trip yesterday, the temperatures didn't drop below 43 degrees Celsius completely suffocating. The more water you drink, the better. I'll try to stay in the shade in avoid to sun because if it reaches that temperature, I can imagine what's like in
[Ian James Lee, Cnn Foreign Correspondent:] Mother Nature is set to give firefighters and beachgoers a break as forecasters predicted the temperatures will drop by Wednesday.
[Lee:] And Rosemary, the Portuguese government has sent out text messages to people learning them about the fires. Telling people they're in that area to keep a close watch out on government announcements in case they too need to evacuate. You know, they say this is their worst heat wave in over a decade. And for everyone else, though people in the cities are on the beaches, you know, the most important thing is to watch yourself, make sure you're not in the sun too long, and, of course, drink plenty of water.
[Church:] Good advice at there. Ian Lee, joining us live from Paris where it is 8:45 in the morning. Many thanks to you. Well, there's no rest in sight for the thousands of firefighters battling17 major fires in California. It's gotten so bad, crews from Australia and New Zealand are on their way to help. Now, over the weekend, the biggest fire nearly doubled in size. That is the Mendocino Complex fire in Northern California. Meanwhile, the so-called Carr Fire has now killed seven people as it tears through homes and other structures. And Yosemite National Park will remain closed indefinitely. Fire has impacted all the roads used to access the valley and dry and dead trees are creating dangerous possibly explosive conditions. Well, the National Hurricane Center says, Hurricane Hector will cross into the Central Pacific Basin as a Category 4 storm. Hawaii's Big Island has already been coping with eruptions from the Kilauea Volcano for the past three months. Now, the islands are on alert as Hector moves toward them with maximum sustained winds of 220 kilometers per hour, about 137 miles per hour. Now, the key to rebuilding relations between the U.S. and Russia might not be a trade deal or a treaty, it could be 1990's Hollywood action star, Steven Seagal. We'll back in a moment with that.