Paris — A heat wave gripping parts of Europe sent temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius (109.4 Fahrenheit) in southern France and the Western Balkans on Monday, fueling wildfires, triggering top-level weather alerts and forcing evacuations in several countries across what scientists warn is the world’s fastest-warming continent.

The national weather authority has placed multiple departments on high heat alert, while officials warn of worsening air quality in several regions, including Marseille, Paris and parts of southern France.

The culture wars have come for air conditioning, at least in France. Amid the latest heat wave, feelings about air conditioning became a political litmus test.