According to data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), more than 160,000 hectares have burned across Europe since the start of summer, on June 21. For the current year, the figure stands at 275,000 hectares, which is double the average for this period from 2006-2025 (138,000).
- More than half (56%) of the burned area in Europe concentrates on the Iberian Peninsula, of which 45% is in Spain.
- Italy (48,000 hectares) and France (46,000 hectares) are the two European countries most affected after Spain (125,000 hectares).
- However, the cumulative area burned in Europe since January 1 remains below the regional record of 561,000 hectares reached in 2022 for this point in the year.
These fires are fueled by repeated heat waves that have struck the continent for several weeks, as well as by the drying of the soils.
- According to a study published on Thursday, July 23, by the scientific network World Weather Attribution, a drought as severe as the one currently observed in Western Europe is five times more likely because of climate change.
- The warming of the atmosphere alone increases the risk of drought, including in regions where precipitation remains steady – a phenomenon further exacerbated in Eastern Europe by a rainfall deficit.
The year 2026 is particularly conducive to wildfires in Western Europe, with a drought that began two months earlier than in 2022.
- The winter was fairly wet, which encouraged vegetation growth.
- When the drought settled in spring and then summer, that same vegetation, abundant, dried out, providing fuel conducive to the spread of fires.
The multiplication and intensification of drought phenomena in Europe are driven by two factors: shifts in atmospheric circulation, and thermodynamic changes – a background warming that increases evaporation demand and affects precipitation – caused by climate change.
- Drought already has a substantial impact on harvests: up to 10 million tonnes of cereals could be lost in Europe this year due to the June heatwave, while France anticipates its worst maize harvest in half a century.
- The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) estimates that the June heatwave led to losses in wheat, barley, maize and other cereals totaling nearly €2 billion.
Sources
- Sarah Kew, Mariam Zachariah, et al., “Increasingly hot Europe faces more Severe Droughts and Growing Challenges for Water and Land Management”, World Weather Attribution, July 23, 2026.
- Damian Carrington, “Climate crisis-driven heat ‘sucking soils dry’ as extreme drought hits Europe”, The Guardian, July 23, 2026.
- Susannah Savage, “European heatwave wiped €2bn from value of grain crop, analysis estimates”, Financial Times, July 22, 2026.