Wildfires Rage Across Southern Europe, Burning More Than 17,000 Hectares

Overview

• Fires that burned over the weekend consumed more than 17,000 hectares across Portugal, Spain and France and remain active in multiple fronts while crews work to contain them.
• Portuguese authorities said roughly 80% of the large northern blaze’s perimeter is under control after it destroyed about 13,000 hectares and prompted requests for international aerial and crew support.
• A blaze near Spain’s Costa Brava burned about 2,200 hectares, forced evacuations and led Catalan officials to detain one person on suspicion of negligence.
• French officials mobilized hundreds to thousands of firefighters, closed roads and opened emergency shelters as more than 10,000 residents were moved from villages near Perpignan and additional fires burned in the Drôme and Pyrénées areas.
• Researchers from World Weather Attribution and national agencies say the late‑June heat was essentially impossible without human-driven warming, and meteorologists forecast another spell of extreme heat that could extend the fire season and strain health and emergency services.