The southwest of the United States is sweltering in record heat as the city of Phoenix saw temperatures hit 115F (46C) for five days in a row.

Forecasters have issued excessive heat warnings in Arizona and Nevada for the rest of the weekend – and doctors have warned of the risk of third-degree burns from hot surfaces.

Las Vegas hit 111F (44C) on Saturday, just three degrees short of its record temperature for June.

In Arizona, fire officials blamed extreme heat for the spread of a wildfire that started on Wednesday and grew by Saturday to nearly 27 square miles near two mountain towns.

Evacuations were ordered on Friday while an aircraft and almost 100 firefighters fought the flames.

Phoenix set a record for the city on Saturday as it 115F (46C) for five consecutive days – and Sunday could extend the record to six days, meteorologist Isaac Smith said.

The problem of burns from hot surfaces is growing in southwest states, as temperatures rise due to climate change and increasing urbanisation.

Arizona Burn Centre in Phoenix said 104 people were admitted in June, July and August 2020 with serious burn injuries due to contact with scorching surfaces – including seven people who died.

Its director Dr Kevin Foster said: “It doesn’t take much time to get a full thickness or third degree burn when exposed to hot pavement.

“Because if you look at hot pavement or asphalt at two o’clock in the afternoon in direct sunlight, the temperature is usually somewhere around 170 to 180F.”

Temperatures are expected to ease next week but could again top 110F (43.3C) in parts of southwest America next weekend.

Excessive heat warnings are also in effect in nearby California and Utah desert areas, as water levels in some areas dropped.

Lake Mead in Nevada supplies 25 million people with water and saw its water levels drop to their lowest point since the reservoir was filled in the 1930s.

In California, farmers have ditched some of the thirstiest crops to save others, while people are debating whether to ration tap water.

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