The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) says extreme heat combined with drought and strong winds across the European Union has been 43 percent more severe during the first seven months of the year than the average recorded over the past two decades.
According to the latest data, approximately 435,000 hectares of land have burned across Europe since the beginning of the year—nearly three times the long-term average.
The damage has resulted from more than 1,400 wildfires, more than double the typical number recorded during recent years.
France has already seen around 91,000 hectares destroyed by fire, setting a new annual national record despite roughly a month of the summer season still remaining.
Spain, which experienced the largest recorded wildfire in its history this year, has lost approximately 207,000 hectares to fire—almost five times the average for this point in the season.
Authorities also ordered the evacuation of around 600 residents after a new wildfire broke out near the Portuguese border, while the European Union’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre warned that conditions are expected to worsen as fires continue spreading in Italy and Greece.
Climate scientists say fossil fuel emissions and climate change are intensifying these events by producing hotter temperatures, drier vegetation and stronger winds, creating conditions that allow fires to spread rapidly.
Researchers also say Europe’s wildfire pattern is changing. Although the overall number of fires is not increasing dramatically, individual fires are becoming significantly larger and more destructive, making early containment increasingly difficult.
José Miguel Viñas, a meteorologist at a British weather institute, told The Guardian that the findings scientifically confirm trends already observed for years across southern Europe and other parts of the world.
“More intense heat, greater drought and stronger winds make wildfires more severe,” he said. “Once they begin, they spread rapidly and quickly become difficult to control.”
Current estimates suggest recent heatwaves have contributed to at least 10,000 deaths across Europe while causing around €2 billion in losses to the continent’s grain production.
