Wildfires are sweeping across Europe, with France and Spain being particularly hard hit. The fires have created “fire clouds,” a phenomenon that has never been seen before, according to authorities.
European Wildfires
France says the fires are far from over and could burn for months, while Spanish authorities say more than 100,000 square miles of land in Madrid have been affected, as exhausted evacuees await a return home.
Temperatures will climb to above-average highs across fire-ravaged areas of France and Spain over the next week, with no signs of rainfall in sight. The European Forest Fire Information System reports that the 20-year average of land burned annually is about 500,000 hectares, with the worst wildfire year on record occurring in 2025, when more than 1 million hectares burned.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the wildfires as “the most painful expression of a climate emergency.” A rapidly warming climate and abrupt shifts from wet to dry conditions have contributed to more intense and destructive fire seasons in recent years, particularly in Western and Southern Europe.
Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.
