WorldMassive wildfires are burning across Europe, including Belgium, Greece, Spain, Italy and France. Alexander Held, a senior expert at the European Forest Institute, explains why fires are spreading to unexpected areas, how citizens can help prevent and contain them, and why Europe needs greater resilience and better-funded government support as fire seasons become more extreme.
WorldWildfires are spreading across Europe, forcing thousands of people to evacuate and causing deaths and major damage. Greece, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Germany and the UK have faced severe fires, while Croatia has reported multiple blazes and arrests over suspected arson.
WorldThe federal police director in Waimes, Belgium, said Sunday that his team was working closely with firefighters to contain a large wildfire in the country’s east.
The Associated Press
WorldFast-moving wildfires swept across the Greek island of Salamina during the summer’s busiest holiday weekend, killing at least two people and injuring several others, authorities said.
Reuters
WorldFirefighters worked through the night against Belgium’s largest recorded wildfire. Local authorities said it had scorched 7,400 acres and was advancing towards the German border.
Reuters
WorldEurope is battling fierce wildfires from Croatia’s coastal town of Omiš, where one person died and dozens were injured, to Spain’s Huelva region, where a blaze burned for 10 days before stabilising. Belgium is facing its largest fire on record, while soldiers assist with fires there and in the UK. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced across France and elsewhere, prompting urgent questions about climate readiness.
World1:01A wildfire in Belgium’s eastern High Fens nature reserve has burned more than 27 square kilometers, ranking among the country’s worst in recent history. Shifting winds and spreading smoke prompted authorities on Saturday to tell about 600 residents near Waimes and Bütgenbach in Liège province to evacuate.
The Associated Press
OtherA wildfire in southwestern France’s Landes region has burned 1,700 hectares of forest. Although it has stopped spreading, the blaze remains out of control, with 550 firefighters and military personnel, supported by six water-bombing aircraft, working to contain it and enable evacuated residents to return home.
WorldBelgium is fighting what has been described as its largest wildfire in modern history. Hundreds of villagers near the German border have been evacuated, while firefighters, EU reinforcements and local farmers work to contain the blaze amid shifting winds and extreme heat.
WorldFootage released by Croatia’s Ministry of Defence from a firefighting aircraft shows wildfires burning across the country’s Dalmatia region.
Reuters
WorldA historic drought has lowered the Danube, prompting Hungary to take the unusual step of sinking barges to help keep the Paks nuclear power plant operating. The plant is running at about 25% capacity, while Romania has shut down its last operating reactor under the same conditions.
WorldWidespread wildfires are burning across Europe after weeks of intense heat and exceptionally dry conditions. Croatia is confronting some of its worst fires in years, with military aircraft supporting hundreds of firefighters, while residents on the Pelješac Peninsula have been forced to leave their homes. Montenegro and Spain are also battling fires, and French crews are using tactical burns.
OtherHungary sank two barges in the Danube to raise water levels and keep the Paks nuclear plant operating during a historic drought.
Reuters
World2:33An ongoing drought in the Netherlands is causing cracks in dykes that protect densely populated areas from flooding. Authorities have banned using fresh water from the dykes for irrigation and imposed heavy fines to preserve water levels and safety, prompting panic in Westland, where hundreds of greenhouse growers could lose vegetables and flowers.
WorldFirefighters and Spain’s Emergency Military Unit worked through the night to contain the Peñas de Riglos wildfire in the Huesca region. The blaze has destroyed thousands of hectares, forced hundreds of people to evacuate and continued moving dangerously close to populated areas and two historic monasteries.
The Associated Press
WorldFirefighters and local farmers worked through the night to contain a wildfire in Luglon, southwestern France, after it burned more than 1,500 hectares. Hot spots continue to threaten homes, while crews hope forecast rain will help bring the blaze under control.
WorldAnother intense heatwave has fueled wildfires from Croatia’s Adriatic coast to Britain and Greece. Researchers examine why areas once considered too wet or cool for major fires are becoming more vulnerable, and what Europe’s growing wildfire threat could mean for the continent’s future.
World1:52A wildfire near the Croatian coastal town of Omis has killed at least one person and critically injured several others, forcing thousands from their homes. Witnesses said boats at the dock also caught fire, prompting people to jump into the sea. The blaze scorched nearly 1,000 hectares in about four hours.
WorldNearly 2,000 people were evacuated from a village in western Germany as a rapidly spreading wildfire approached homes in extremely dry conditions. Unexploded World War II ordnance remains in parts of the forest, with occasional detonations during the fire complicating firefighting operations.
World3:46:57Wildfires in Britain have reached record levels, with a heatmap showing conditions across England and Europe. London reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit on August 13, which the Met Office said was the United Kingdom’s fifth-hottest day on record.
Reuters
World0:59A wind-driven wildfire swept into the Croatian tourist town of Omis overnight, engulfing houses, forcing about 1,000 people to evacuate and injuring dozens, according to fire brigade and health officials.
Reuters
WorldA fast-moving wildfire in France’s southwestern Landes region has burned more than 1,000 hectares since Thursday, prompting the evacuation of about 520 residents. Major reinforcements have been deployed, while authorities say the fire’s path remains unpredictable.
World2:35:51A heatmap depicts wildfires across England and Europe as fires in Britain reach record levels. London temperatures hit 100 degrees Fahrenheit on August 13, making it the United Kingdom’s fifth-hottest day on record, according to the Met Office.
Reuters
WorldGermany is the latest European country battling wildfires spreading across the continent. With drought and heatwaves affecting western Europe, DW examines how future fires might be prevented, reporting from the edge of a fireground in North Rhine-Westphalia and speaking with a European Forest Institute wildfire specialist.