In recent times, several European countries have been hit by rare heatwaves and strong winds, leading to wildfires spreading rapidly fueled by high temperatures, dry conditions, and thunderstorms. The flames have engulfed vast areas from Southern Europe to Central-Eastern Europe, resulting in tens of thousands of hectares of land being destroyed and forcing tens of thousands of residents and tourists to evacuate. The scale of the disaster and the speed of its spread have been described by locals as “fierce like gunpowder.”
According to data from the European Union’s Joint Research Centre, nearly 440,000 hectares (approximately 1,700 square miles) of land have been ravaged by wildfires in the Eurozone so far this year, nearly twice the average for the same period since 2006. Reports from the Associated Press and The Guardian indicate that affected areas have extended from Greece, Spain, and Portugal to Albania and further on to Croatia, Hungary, France, and Germany, with some regions experiencing fire risks at levels not seen in years.
In the western Greek city of Patras, wildfires have destroyed olive groves and forests, igniting a cement factory and sending thick smoke and flames towards railway lines, causing disruptions in transportation. Volunteer Giorgos Karvanis, who rushed from Athens, described the scene as “looking like doomsday, may God protect us.” Authorities have ordered the evacuation of around 7,700 residents from neighboring towns and issued evacuation orders for surrounding islands.
In the Castile and Leon region of central Spain, a 35-year-old volunteer firefighter lost his life after being trapped in the fire while creating a firebreak. He became the sixth fatality in the country this year due to wildfires. The national meteorological agency AEMET warned of extreme or very high fire risks across almost the entire country, with a heatwave persisting for ten days and local temperatures soaring to 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius).
Spanish Minister of Environment Sara Aagesen pointed out that multiple fires are suspected to be arson-related, attributing the reason to the “intensity of the flames.” Police have arrested a firefighter suspected of arson in the Avila region north of Madrid, are investigating a 63-year-old woman suspected of arson in the Muxia region of Galicia, and a man who was burned after allegedly setting fires in a coastal community in Cadiz.
In Albania, Defense Minister Pirro Vengu described it as a “critical week,” with about 10,000 firefighters, soldiers, and police officers simultaneously fighting fires at 24 different locations nationwide. Flames are encroaching on central villages, forcing 68-year-old villager Hajri Dragoti and his wife to evacuate to a rivers’ confluence with a cow, a donkey, and a dog.
“We can’t do anything; the fires are like gunpowder,” he said.
In the Trancoso area of central Portugal, wildfires have been burning for several days, with multiple reignitions sparked by lightning from strong thunderstorms. Meanwhile, Italy has issued extreme heat red alerts in 16 cities, with even the Vatican moving the Pope’s weekly audiences indoors to avoid the scorching sun.
Greenpeace has urged the European Union to invest €1 billion annually in forest management, a move that could potentially save up to €990 billion in firefighting and reconstruction costs in the long run.