Over the weekend, firefighters largely contained the massive wildfire in southern France, but looming heat and wind threaten to reignite fires across Europe. While France struggles, Vesuvius trails are closed, Greece faces evacuations, and the UK and Canada record record‑breaking temperatures and fires.
Fire on Vesuvius and Athens Fires
Due to the blaze on the slopes of Vesuvius, all trails on the volcano were closed to tourists. The firefighting effort involved several aircraft. Fires around Athens have already affected 1,600 hectares of forests and farmland.
France Wildfire Season
Fires are also battling firefighters in France, where the wildfire season is one of the worst in decades. In the largest blaze on the Mediterranean coast, one person already died. Over the weekend, the fire was largely contained, but firefighters fear that early next week’s extreme heat and wind could reignite the fire or spark new ones.
European Wildfire Extent
Across Europe this year, wildfires have already covered over 350,000 hectares—seven times the area of Warsaw. The area affected is more than twice the size of the same period last year. Forecasts indicate that the fire threat remains large or extreme across nearly the entire Iberian Peninsula, large parts of France, Italy, Greece, the Balkans, and parts of the UK and Finland. In Poland, a fairly rainy July has reduced the fire risk, but this may return with August heat waves.
Extreme Heat in Southern Europe
Early next week, forecasts predict another extreme heatwave for western and southern Europe. In southern Spain and Portugal, temperatures are projected to exceed 40 °C. Temperatures markedly above 35 °C, some close to 40 °C, are also forecast across large parts of France—including Paris. Similar predictions exist for Italy, Greece, and parts of the Balkans.
2>Climate‑Driven Heat and Fire Casualties
Heat, driven by climate change, poses direct health and life threats and fuels dangerous fires. Last week, a 65‑year‑old woman died in a blaze. Her body was found in a house that had been engulfed in flames. Additionally, 19 firefighters and several civilians sustained injuries. In Spain’s Castilla y León region at least 700 people were evacuated due to fires encroaching on settlements. In Portugal, the Civil Guard issued a maximum alert on Sunday and sent SMS warnings about fires.
UK Fires
This summer is also scorching in the United Kingdom, where fires have burnt 40,000 hectares since the start of the year—50 % more than the previous record year. The specialist portal Carbon Brief notes this.
Europe’s Rapid Warming
Europe is the fastest‑warming continent in the world, and climate change is driving more extreme heatwaves. Between 1950‑2000, temperatures exceeding 40 °C in France were rare. Today such heat is much more frequent, occurring on average a dozen times a year.
Extreme Heat in the Middle East
Residents in the Middle Eastern countries can expect even higher temperatures. In Syria, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, daytime temperatures will surpass 40 °C in the coming days, while in Iraq they will approach 50 °C. Even at night, heat will not abate, with temperatures staying above 30 °C. By the end of July, government offices in southern Iraq were suspended due to heat of up to 52 °C, advising residents to stay indoors during the hottest part of the day and avoid direct sun.
United Arab Emirates Heat Record
In the UAE, early August recorded 51.8 °C, close to the country’s historic heat record, reported by Reuters. The agency notes that recommendations to avoid midday sun are not always feasible for construction or farming workers, many migrants, who are especially vulnerable to heat.
Canada Fires
August also brought high temperatures to parts of Canada. This year is already the second worst in history (after 2023) in terms of fire area. Fires in Canadian forests are not uncommon, but earlier years covered smaller areas in a single year. Now we see an unusually large fire area almost year by year, disrupting the natural regeneration processes and releasing large amounts of CO₂, worsening global warming and further encouraging fires.
August Heat in Poland
After July with average temperatures near normal, August is expected to bring heat also to Poland. Forecasts predict that in the second half of the week temperatures will exceed 30 °C across most of the country and reach 35 °C in some cities.
Energy Gases Drive Extreme Weather
2024 was the hottest calendar year ever recorded and the first in which Earth’s warming surpassed 1.5 °C. All signs point to 2025 being only the second or third hottest year in history. Climate change is accelerating, and some scientists attribute extreme heat, drought, and subsequent fires to this.
Climate change is primarily caused by greenhouse gases emitted by burning coal, oil, and gas. As long as we continue to emit CO₂ from these and other sources such as agriculture and deforestation, the Earth’s average temperature will rise, leading to longer and stronger heatwaves, droughts, and more powerful floods and hurricanes.
