Europe battles unprecedented heat and wildfires
Record heat is fueling wildfires from the French southwest to the Greek coast, forcing thousands to flee and testing emergency services.
Europe is experiencing a historic heatwave, with forecasts showing more than 150 million people set to face temperatures above 35 °C on Friday. The sweltering weather has ignited a string of wildfires across the continent, prompting large‑scale evacuations and stretching firefighting resources to their limits.
Scientists link the surge in heat and fire activity to human‑driven climate change, noting that Europe is warming faster than any other continent. The fires have already caused deaths, displaced thousands and threatened cultural heritage sites, underscoring the growing human cost of extreme weather.
France sees another blaze in the southwest
France’s fire season has been relentless. A new fire in the Landes department has charred roughly 1,100 hectares and forced more than 500 residents to evacuate. The blaze is edging towards the village of Luglon, prompting Arnaud Fabre, the fire chief, to warn of possible flare‑ups as local temperatures climb to 36 °C.
Germany evacuates thousands as flames spread
In western Germany, a wildfire near the town of Huertgenwald expanded from 25 to 300 hectares, prompting the evacuation of around 1,800 people. Helicopters and army equipment were deployed to contain the fire, which has been fed by dry conditions and low rainfall that have left farmland and rivers parched. The incident mirrors a similar evacuation covered in a recent report on the north‑west of the country.
Southern hotspots: Spain, Croatia and Greece
In the Aragon region of Spain, a fire that started on Monday has forced 850 people to leave their homes and threatens the 10th‑century San Juan de la Pena monasteries, prompting the removal of historic artefacts as a precaution.
Britain’s fire services are also under strain.
British firefighters were "under significant pressure" as multiple wildfires spread at a time of soaring temperatures and drought conditions,said the head of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC). In Stourbridge, central England, scorched fields and burnt homes marked the country’s hottest day of the year so far, and three firefighters required hospital treatment after battling a blaze near Birmingham.
In Croatia, fire chief Slavko Tucakovic described the blaze as one of the worst in the nation’s history. Flames have engulfed coastal homes, injured 19 people and displaced about 1,000 residents, who were taken to a sports hall in Omis. Additional crews and four Canadair water‑bombing aircraft have been mobilised to help control the fire and a separate blaze on the island of Brac.
On the Halkidiki peninsula of Greece, a forest fire threatened two popular resorts, prompting the evacuation of roughly 500 tourists by boat. Hundreds of firefighters, supported by water‑bombing aircraft, worked to keep the fire from spreading further.
What lies ahead
With heatwave conditions expected to persist, authorities across Europe are likely to see more evacuations and increased pressure on emergency services. The scale of the current fires may prompt a review of forest‑management policies and greater investment in cross‑border firefighting cooperation. Meanwhile, the public is being urged to stay informed of local alerts and to heed evacuation orders as temperatures remain dangerously high.
