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Published : 28 Jul 2026, 01:09 AM
An unprecedented wildfire season is tearing across Europe, leaving a trail of destruction and prompting officials to warn that the crisis could persist until early November..
The escalating emergency has forced the European Union to activate its joint civil protection mechanism, sending firefighting aircraft, helicopters and specialist ground crews to support overwhelmed authorities in France and Spain, The Guardian reported.
Emergency officials say the fires are spreading too quickly for conventional firefighting tactics to keep pace.
In southern Spain, one rapidly advancing blaze, travelling at about 6km an hour, killed 13 people.
Firefighters can typically contain fires moving at no more than 300mph, leaving crews unable to halt the wind-driven flames.
France is confronting a similar disaster in the south-western Gironde region, where a massive wildfire near Bordeaux has burned an area four times the size of Paris.
The blaze has generated its own weather system, creating unpredictable winds and forcing more than 220,000 people to flee their homes.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the disaster reflected a broader climate crisis rather than an isolated event.
"It is the most painful manifestation of a climate emergency... It is no longer an exception. It is the rule."
Fresh heatwaves are forecast to push temperatures close to 40C across France, Spain and Italy, adding to fears that the fires will intensify in the coming weeks.
Health authorities have also issued air pollution warnings, urging vulnerable people to wear FFP2 masks to protect themselves from hazardous wildfire smoke.
