Firefighters race to extinguish blazes across EU as fire weather breaks records
Record-breaking heat and dry conditions across the European Union have led to an unusually severe wildfire season. Data indicates that fire severity is 43% higher than the historical average, with significant destruction reported in France, Spain, and Greece.
Why it matters
The increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires, exacerbated by climate change, pose a growing threat to public safety, infrastructure, and ecosystems across Europe.
Residents and firefighters work to extinguish an advancing wildfire near Formariz in Zamora province in Spain on Wednesday. Residents and firefighters work to extinguish an advancing wildfire near Formariz in Zamora province in Spain on Wednesday. Wildfires Firefighters race to extinguish blazes across EU as fire weather breaks records European Forest Fire Information Service figures show conditions in EU 43% more severe than for same period in last 20 years
Prefer the Guardian on Google Fire weather in the EU has broken records for severity for this time of year, new data shows, as firefighters race to extinguish blazes across the Mediterranean.
Inflamed by carbon pollution, the hot, dry and windy weather across the EU since the start of the year has been 43% more severe than the end-of-July average over the last two decades, data from the European Forest Fire Information Service (Effis) shows.
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