A severe run of heatwaves has left much of the Mediterranean extremely dry, fueling a wave of destructive wildfires across Spain, Portugal, France, Greece, Italy, and Turkey. By early July, the fires had killed at least 14 people and forced tens of thousands of residents to evacuate.
Spain has been hit hardest, with roughly 50,000 hectares burned across more than a dozen major fires. Portugal has seen around 30,000 hectares burned, including a blaze that sent a smoke plume stretching hundreds of miles. In France, a fast-moving fire near the Spanish border forced more than 10,000 people from their homes, while fires near Thessaloniki and Athens in Greece triggered evacuations and shelter-in-place orders.
Researchers say the heat itself has been even deadlier than the flames, with an estimated several thousand excess deaths linked to the late-June heatwave across European cities. In response, the EU has mobilized its largest firefighting effort yet, positioning dozens of aircraft and hundreds of firefighters across affected countries.
Source: Inside Climate News — read the full report here: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07072026/record-heat-drives-wildfires-in-europe-forces-thousands-to-evacuate/