Extremely severe fire weather fueled by climate breakdown has sparked catastrophic wildfires across the European Union.

 

Firefighters race to extinguish blazes across EU as fire weather breaks records

Extremely severe fire weather fueled by climate breakdown has sparked catastrophic wildfires across the European Union. Data from the European Forest Fire Information Service (EFFIS) reveals that hot, dry, and windy conditions since the start of 2026 are 43% more severe than the late-July average over the past two decades.

A devastating combination of back-to-back heatwaves and extreme soil dryness has led to over 1,400 active fires, burning roughly 435,000 hectares (1,075,000 acres)—nearly triple the recent historical average.

Key Impacts Across EU Nations

• Spain: Battling its largest wildfire on record west of Madrid, with 207,000 hectares burned nationwide. The complex crisis has forced widespread evacuations across the Iberian Peninsula.
• France: Over 91,000 hectares have burned, breaking the country's all-year record with an entire month of summer remaining. Intense blazes in the dense pine forests near Bordeaux became so massive they generated rare, lightning-producing pyrocumulonimbus "fire clouds".
• Greece: Facing a deteriorating situation, the Greek fire department reported the tragic deaths of three firefighters—two on the island of Crete and one on the southern mainland. Over 150 new blazes broke out within a 24-hour window.
• Italy & Portugal: Both nations are experiencing near-record numbers of fires and burned areas well above historical averages. Italy also recorded a firefighter fatality during operations in Sicily