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Southern Europe Wildfires
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Sources & MethodEurope battles wildfires and braces for another summer heatwave
As well as drought, Europe has also been battling wildfires this summer. Firefighters this week are struggling to control a rapidly expanding wildfire in southwestern Spain that has forced the evacuation of around 800 people. For more on that topic, FRANCE 24's Nadia Massih is joined by Alexander Held, Senior Fire Management Expert at the European Forest Institute.
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
Wildfire rages in southern France, forcing evacuations
A wildfire in southern France forced the evacuation of two hamlets on Sunday as more than 200 firefighters battled flames that had scorched around 90 hectares in the Lozere region. Officials said the blaze, possibly sparked by a vehicle fire, remained out of control amid extremely dry conditions.
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
The week in pictures: Summer wildfires, a Thai school shooting and the Tour de France Femmes
This summer's record wildfire season continued its devastation in the US state of Washington and parts of Europe, Thailand mourned after a school shooting left students and teachers dead, and cycling enthusiasts turned their attention to the women's Tour de France: here's a look at the week's most striking images.
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
'People at war have come to help': Ukrainian firefighters battle French wildfire
A team of 70 firefighters from Ukraine is on deployment in southwest France, where wildfires have scorched 42,000 hectares in the worst blaze in decades. RFI met the Ukrainian rescuers helping to put out the last of the flames.
Source confidence: medium
RFI - English
France's timber industry rushes to process trees charred by wildfires
Fires across France have left behind mountains of cut and burned wood. More than 35,000 metric tons of trees were chopped down to urgently create firebreaks and slow the spread of the flames. But what will become of all these trees? The timber industry is now under heavy strain. It will take more than two years to remove and process it all. Story by Caitlin Brown.
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
Ile-de-France region files suit for compensation over Fontainebleau forest fire
The Ile-de-France regional council this week launched a civil law suit over the recent wildfire which decimated more than 2,000 hectares of the Fontainebleau forest, south of Paris. A criminal investigation has been opened into the blaze, which the national forestry office says caused significant environmental damage.
Source confidence: medium
RFI - English
Europe's heat wave fuels drought, wildfires and fears about energy supplies
Europe's heat wave exposes buried history and new threats — Nazi-era wrecks emerge from the Danube, nuclear reactors face cooling risks, and Greece battles deadly wildfires.
Source confidence: medium
NPR - World
Firefighters in Greece gain ground against wildfires near Athens
Easing winds on the northwestern outskirts of Athens allowed firefighters in Greece to gain ground against a wildfire that had been burning for five consecutive days near the coastal village of Psatha, the fire service said. The greater Athens region has been placed under near-maximum fire risk for Wednesday, according to the civil protection ministry.
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
Greece gains ground against blaze near Athens
Firefighters in Greece gained ground Tuesday against a wildfire burning for a fifth day on the outskirts of Athens, as easing winds allowed water-bombing aircraft back into the skies in force.
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
Greece's wildfires claim lives as firefighters struggle to contain flames
In Greece, hundreds of firefighters are pushing ahead with their attempts to bring multiple blazes across the country under control. Police have arrested two people in connection with one of the blazes near the coastal village of Porto Germeno, which investigators believe may have been caused by an electrical cable. The fires have already claimed multiple lives.
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
France wildfires reveal hundreds of WW2 shells in village
Explosions heard in Le Porge as the wildfires raged are believed to have have been the old munitions.
Source confidence: medium
BBC World
Europe's record-breaking heat sparks wildfires, drought in France, Greece and the UK
Europe's record-breaking hot and dry summer continues to take its toll on France and Greece, where firefighters fought to contain major blazes, while the UK recorded its driest July in nearly two centuries. Europe is Earth’s fastest-warming continent, heating at more than twice the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus climate service.
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
French wildfires expose cache of buried Second World War shells
Devastating wildfires in the southwest of France have uncovered a hidden cache of Second World War-era shells in the village of Le Porge, adding an explosive edge to an already dangerous situation.
Source confidence: medium
RFI - English
Deadly helicopter crash in Greece highlights danger to crews fighting wildfires
Water-bombing aircraft returned to the skies over Greece on Monday as firefighters battled several major blazes near Athens, a day after two pilots were killed when their fire-fighting helicopter collided with another aircraft.
Source confidence: medium
RFI - English
Wildfire threat eases across France, despite heat alerts and storm warnings
France’s wildfire situation showed signs of improvement on Monday, with thousands of residents and tourists preparing to return to evacuated areas in the south-west, even as firefighters remained on alert amid high temperatures, low humidity and a new risk of severe thunderstorms.
Source confidence: medium
RFI - English
France's famed Bordeaux wine country has been charred by wildfire
Southwest France has seen wildfires in the past. But the fires that raged last week and scorched 100,000 acres are something new to the region.
Source confidence: medium
NPR - World
Helicopters fighting Greece wildfires collide in mid-air
Video of the incident shows one of the helicopters hitting the propellers of the other, which bursts into flames.
Source confidence: medium
BBC World
The week in pictures: European wildfires, a woolly mammoth and a migrant influx at Spain's Ceuta
Fires burned across much of Europe, an earthquake in Japan killed dozens, record-low water levels in Bulgaria exposed the remains of a woolly mammoth, and tens of thousands sought to cross into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta before eventually returning home: FRANCE 24 looks back at some of the week's most striking images.
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
Greece's wildfires worsen as strong winds spread blazes
Greece confronted a worsening fire crisis on Sunday, with wildfires burning on multiple fronts and swaths of forest and agricultural land destroyed. Strong winds were worsening fires and hampering firefighting aircraft, officials said, and a search and rescue operation was under way after two firefighting helicopters collided west of Athens.
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
France: Major Gironde wildfire contained
In France, the wildfire in Gironde has now been contained, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, meaning the flames are no longer spreading. Around 42,000 hectares have been burned over the past nine days.
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
France's wildfires are now 'under control', says PM Lecornu
France's largest wildfire since 1949 is "under control" more than a week after erupting in the Gironde department near Bordeaux, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Saturday. France has been battling wildfires for weeks after a series of deadly heatwaves, which scientists have linked to human-made climate change.
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
Greece fights fires near Athens
Evacuation orders were issued on Friday for areas west and northwest of Athens, as new wildfires broke out near the Greek capital. Firefighters battled to contain the flames, but winds of around 50 miles per hour hampered efforts by water-bombing aircraft. Meanwhile, fires in other parts of the country were brought under control, although the risk of new outbreaks remains very high.
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
Orange forest fire notification in Greece
On 31/07/2026, a forest fire started in Greece, until 05/08/2026.
Source confidence: strong
GDACS - Global Alerts
George Clooney's family evacuates their home in France amid wildfires
George Clooney and his family have evacuated their home in southeastern France after a nearby wildfire threatened the area, his agent said Thursday. Blazes continued to scorch parts of the country during a prolonged spell of extreme summer heat.
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
Greece orders partial evacuation of Athens suburb as wildfire burns
Greek authorities on Friday ordered the partial evacuation of a suburb west of Athens after a forest fire broke out on a nearby mountain, prompting an emergency alert as firefighters battled to contain the blaze.
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
As Bordeaux blaze eases, Ukraine sends reinforcements to France
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Friday that 308 people have been detained nationwide over the wildfire outbreak, with two-thirds suspected of "deliberate arson". The announcement came as the blaze near Bordeaux showed signs of easing and Ukraine dispatched 70 rescuers to help battle the fires still burning across France.
Source confidence: medium
RFI - English
France’s wildfires: Famous Bordeaux wine region at risk
🇫🇷 🍷 #France's largest #wine region is facing a wake-up call after #wildfires neared #Bordeaux's famed vineyards. The blazes underscored the climate challenges posed by severe drought and repeated #heatwaves. FRANCE 24's Gabrielle Nadler explains ▶️
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
How did climate change fuel the wildfires ravaging Europe this summer?
A new study by researchers from the World Weather Attribution has found that human-induced climate change played a significant role in the wildfires that have gripped France and Spain in the past week. The hot and dry conditions brought about by climate change made the fires twice as likely in France and 20 times as likely in Spain the scientists found.
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
France's southwest faces 'optimistic day' as half of evacuees return home
Over half of the people evacuated from France's southwest due to massive wildfires were allowed to return to their homes. French firefighters have been battling a massive wildfire west of Bordeaux, which forced the evacuation of 220,000 people. It destroyed more than 200 homes, burned through 42,000 hectares and killed two firemen. FRANCE 24's Carys Garland is on the ground and tells us more
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
Thousands in France allowed to return home as Europe tackles wildfires and heatwave
Firefighters in the Gironde region of France said the situation had "stabilized", after a week of wildfires caused by a major heatwave across Europe.
Source confidence: medium
NPR - World
Climate change made France, Spain wildfire conditions far more likely, scientists say
Researchers warn that hotter, drier conditions are making severe wildfire seasons increasingly frequent across Europe.
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
France, Spain eye respite from wildfires as other blazes break out in Europe
A massive wildfire that has devastated southwestern France was no longer advancing on Thursday, local authorities said, raising hopes the crisis was easing. In Spain, most of the tens of thousands of people evacuated from areas west of Madrid were cleared to return home after the state of emergency was lifted. Firefighters, however, remained locked in battles against major blazes in the UK, Greece, Portugal and Turkey.
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
France's unprecedented wildfires: Convergence of climate change and historical landscape engineering
Delano D'Souza is pleased to welcome Dr. Melissa Sterry, Scientist, Designer, Strategist and Founding Director of Panarchic Codex® : Design for Living with Wildfire. Dr. Sterry reframes wildfire as a systemic phenomenon: climate change intensifies heat and drought, nineteenth century land engineering has produced highly combustible plantation forests, and expanding human activity increases ignition opportunities. Once these factors align, fires can evolve ...
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
France wildfires: Risk remains 'extremely high' despite slight weather improvement
France's wildfire risk remains "extremely high" despite a slight improvement in weather conditions, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Thursday (July 30), citing persistent drought and fast-spreading blazes across the country. Nunez said higher humidity and weaker winds had helped conditions, but authorities still dealt with 26 fires nationwide on Wednesday (July 29) alone, warning that vegetation remained highly combustible.
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
How native livestock is reducing the risk of wildfires in Spain's Galicia region
In Spain's Galicia region, native goats, sheep, and cows are helping local communities reduce the risk of wildfires by grazing on flammable undergrowth.The initiative has gained momentum in an area hit hard by Spain's worst wildfire year in 2025, where nearly 119,00 hectares of land burned, an area spanning roughly double the size of Madrid. The animals include the Cachena, a native goat-like cow known for its ability to forage widely and traverse the regi...
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
Greek firefighters battle deadly wildfires on Crete for a second day
Greek firefighters were battling deadly wildfires on the island of Crete for a second day on Thursday, as wildfires continue to spread across Europe following days of devastating blazes in Spain and France. On Wednesday, three Greek firefighters died battling blazes during high winds on Crete and on the mainland, and two more were lightly injured.
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
Tens of thousands of French wildfire evacuees allowed to return home
French authorities gave the go-ahead Thursday for 84,000 evacuees forced out by a monster wildfire to go back to their homes in southwest France, the strongest sign yet that firefighters are turning a corner in their battle against the flames that have burned an area four times the size of Paris. FRANCE 24's Carys Garland reports.
Source confidence: medium
France 24 - English
Orange forest fire notification in Spain
On 25/07/2026, a forest fire started in Spain, until 29/07/2026.
Source confidence: strong
GDACS - Global Alerts
Wildfires surge across Europe as Spain and France battle major blazes
The amount of land burned by wildfires across Europe has increased by 57 per cent in four years, according to new data from the World Health Organization (WHO) in Europe.
Source confidence: strong
UN News - All