French authorities allowed 84,000 wildfire evacuees to return home as firefighters gained control of a massive blaze that has burned an area four times the size of Paris.

Extreme heat and dry conditions continue to fuel wildfires across Europe, with firefighters battling new outbreaks in several countries.

More than 224,000 people had been evacuated in southwest France during the height of the crisis.

Actor George Clooney said he and his family evacuated their home in southeastern France because of a nearby wildfire, though residents were later allowed to return, the AP has reported.

The ongoing heatwave has also caused other disruptions, including Romania temporarily shutting down a nuclear power plant due to low Danube River water levels.