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.Wildfires destroyed 2.2 million hectares of land in the WHO’s European Region in 2025 – up from 1.4 million hectares in 2022.In Spain and Portugal alone, the number of wildfires has more than doubled since last year.Madrid declared a national emergency on Friday as wildfires near the capital forced 10,000 people to evacuate. The head of the regional government said these fires are the worst ever.In southern France, about 63,000 people evacuated following multiple fires that have already destroyed about 80 homes, according to national authorities.“Wildfires destroy homes and livelihoods, force evacuations, and place enormous pressure on emergency services and health systems,” the WHO wrote in a press release. “Tragically, they also claim lives.”Fuelling the firesClimate change is intensifying wildfires and increasing their frequency, WHO said.This is because temperatures are rising along with drier conditions and increasing urbanization, which in turn extends the length of the wildfire season.Energy transitionMeanwh...