Summer 2026 has seen record-breaking temperatures across Europe – and consequently, wildfires in Europe have become increasingly common, with emergency services in regions of Spain, France, Greece, Portugal and the UK battling fires and evacuating hundreds of thousands of people. So what’s the latest?
Where are the wildfires in Europe?
Emergency services are battling wildfires in areas across Europe. In recent weeks and months, wildfires in France have advanced on the city of Bordeaux during the peak summer holiday season, impacting an area four times the size of Paris.
At the time of writing, 30 July, tens of thousands of residents and travellers have been allowed to return to their homes and residences in France’s Gironde region.
In Spain, authorities have said a devastating fire west of Madrid has now been largely contained, although it continues to some extent. There is also a smaller fire ongoing near Valencia. In light of the number of fires and no relief from high temperatures, Spain’s interior ministry has declared much of northern Spain a ‘red zone’ at risk from further fires this summer.
In Greece, three firefighters died battling wildfires on Crete, the country’s largest island. Wildfires have been reported on the islands of Paros and Lesbos in recent days.
In the UK, firefighters are battling a wildfire in Suffolk, with evacuations in place and videos from Wednesday evening showing emergency services working on the fire as it destroyed trees and greenery.
