2025 European and Mediterranean wildfires

2025 European wildfires
A satellite image of smoke from a wildfire on the Greek island of Chios
LocationEurope
Impacts
Deaths6[a]
Non-fatal injuries126+[b]
Evacuated57,500+[c]

Since June 2025, parts of Europe have been affected by wildfires, with Mediterranean countries affected the most. The fires were exacerbated by a record-breaking heatwave which saw extreme temperatures across the continent throughout June and into July. At least six people have been killed by fires, hundreds injured and tens of thousands evacuated; among the worst-hit countries were France, Greece, Spain and Turkey.

By country

Albania

On 1 July, a fire started in the municipality of Finiq after a pine tree fell on power lines.[1] On 6 July, Greece sent two Canadair CL-415 aircraft to the area to assist with firefighting efforts.[2]

Croatia

On 21 June, a large wildfire started in Pisak and quickly spread to nearby villages. The fire burned around 290 ha (720 acres) before it was brought under control the following day by around 200 firefighters.[3] Numerous citizens and tourists were evacuated and part of the Adriatic Highway was closed; a number of citizens and firefighters were injured and several houses were destroyed in Marušići, Mimice and Pisak.[4] In Marušići, an olive oil refinery, one of the largest in the country, was also destroyed.[5]

France

On 29 June, a large fire started in Corbières due to a poorly extinguished barbeque and spread to over 400 ha (990 acres). The A61 autoroute was closed and homes and a campsite were evacuated as over 600 firefighters, nine of whom were injured, fought the blaze and brought it under control the following day.[6]

On 7 July, a fire started near Narbonne and spread to over 2,000 ha (4,900 acres), forcing the evacuation of a hamlet and the closure of the A9 autoroute. By 9 July, several houses had been damaged whilst around 1,070 firefighters fought the flames, five of whom had been injured. The fire also destroyed a stable, killing a number of horses.[7]

On 8 July, a wildfire started in Les Pennes-Mirabeau and spread rapidly, prompting the closure of the A50 and A55 autoroutes and Marseille Provence Airport as train services heading north and west of Marseille were suspended. Marseille's 15th arrondissement was evacuated and operations at the airport resumed after 9:30 p.m. once Canadair aircraft were grounded for the night. Around 600 people lost power due to the fire in the 16th arrondissement and Les Pennes-Mirabeau, whilst 70 people were displaced from a nursing home in the latter. The Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, said that some 110 people had been injured during the fire, which had affected 63 homes and destroyed at least 10. He also said over 800 firefighters were tackling the blaze, at least nine of whom had been injured.[8]

Germany

On 1 July, a wildfire started in Gohrischheide on the border of Saxony and Brandenburg, leading to the evacuation of over 100 people as two firefighters were injured.[9] Another fire started in Thuringia the following day in Saalfelder Höhe and grew to become the largest in the state since 1993. By 4 July, a total of 1,000 firefighters had been deployed between the two sites and several communities including Gröditz were under a disaster alert.[10]

Greece

On 22 June, five fires started on the island of Chios, leading to the evacuation of 17 communities as a state of emergency was declared;[11] it was tackled by 444 firefighters and several aircraft as it burned over 10,000 acres (4,000 ha), with a woman being arrested for unintentional arson.[12] Another large fire destroyed at least 20 homes amidst high winds and temperatures of up to 40 °C (104 °F) in the towns of Palaia Fokaia and Thymari, with over 1,000 people being evacuated and at least 40 having to be rescued by police.[13]

On 3 July, a wildfire which started the previous day near Ierapetra on the island of Crete forced the evacuation of over 1,500 people as it was fought by around 230 firefighters and 46 vehicles; around 5,000 tourists were also believed to have evacuated independently. Another fire in the Chalkidiki region was being fought by 160 firefighters and 49 vehicles.[14] A fire in Rafina forced the evacuation of four settlements and damaged at least six houses as it spread to Pikermi and Spata.[15]

On 4 July, a wildfire started near Koropi and damaged some houses, leading to the evacuation of Agios Dimitrios as 120 firefighters fought the fire, supported by 30 vehicles, eight aircraft and eight helicopters.[16] A large fire broke out on the island of Evia and forced the evacuation of Limnionas and Tsakaioi as over 160 firefighters fought the blaze;[17] it spread to 10,000 acres (4,000 ha) and a 52-year-old was arrested the following day.[18]

On 7 July, a wildfire started in Kozani and spread close to the University of Western Macedonia, prompting its evacuation; three aircraft and a helicopter were involved as the fire reached some houses.[19]

Montenegro

On 2 July, a wildfire broke out near Gornje Crkvice in Nikšić Municipality, close to the border with Bosnia's Republika Srpska, and threatened a number of homes. Firefighters were reportedly still fighting the blaze on 4 July.[20]

Netherlands

On 3 April, a large wildfire broke out in the Veluwe near Ede during a Ministry of Defence exercise involving smoke grenades. The fire spread quickly due to strong winds, leading to around 500 firefighters attending the blaze as roads were closed and a small number of houses were evacuated; a total of 130 ha (320 acres) was burned.[21] On 12 April, a wildfire occurred in De Loonse en Drunense Duinen National Park, burning 42 ha (100 acres) before it was brought under control by over 100 firefighters.[22]

Portugal

On 29 June, a fire broke out in a forested area of Castelo Branco; by midnight it was being fought by 175 personnel, 57 vehicles and seven aircraft. Another fire in a forested area of Torres Novas was fought by 107 firefighters and 32 vehicles.[23]

Spain

On 1 July, a large wildfire started in the municipality of Torrefeta i Florejacs in the Province of Lleida and spread to burn around 5,300 ha (13,000 acres). Two people were killed in Oliola after their vehicle got stuck whilst they were trying to escape and a firefighter was injured in Coscó; around 20,000 people were under a lockdown before the fire was declared stabilised shortly after 10:30 p.m. on 2 July.[24] On 2 July, a local politician died whilst trying to help a tractor driver whose vehicle had started a small wildfire in the municipality of San Cristovo de Cea.[25]

On 8 July, a large fire in Baix Ebre spread to over 3,100 ha (7,700 acres) and lead to the lockdown of over 18,000 people as it spread to the Els Ports Natural Park and left four firefighters injured.[26]

Syria

On 3 July, a number of forest fires broke out near the Turkish border in Latakia Governorate. Fires in the Qastal Ma'af area moved close to villages, prompting the evacuation of multiple areas.[27] On 5 July, Turkey sent two aircraft and eleven vehicles to Syria to help them fight the fires.[28]

Turkey

See also: Wildfires in Turkey

On 29 June, amid high temperatures and strong winds of up to 117 km/h (73 mph), a series of wildfires broke out across the country, mostly in İzmir Province. They forced the evacuation of over 50,000 people from 41 settlements around the province and operations at İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport were temporarily suspended.[29] Three people were killed by wildfires near Ödemiş: an 81-year-old bedridden man and two people who were working with firefighters to tackle the fire. The fires in İzmir were brought under control on 4 July, having destroyed around 5,000 ha (12,000 acres) and some 200 houses.[30]

On 4 July, a fire broke out in a forest in Dörtyol and spread quickly due to strong winds. By the next day almost 2,000 people had been evacuated in Hatay Province whilst over 1,000 emergency personnel worked to fight the blaze.[31]

United Kingdom

Main article: 2025 United Kingdom wildfires

The United Kingdom saw its worst year on record for wildfires, which was exacerbated by an unprecedented lack of rainfall throughout spring; this record was broken exceptionally early in the year after the total area burned by wildfires surpassed 29,000 ha (72,000 acres; 110 sq mi; 290 km2) in late April.[32] As of 3 July, over 43,548 ha (107,610 acres; 168.14 sq mi; 435.48 km2) has been burnt, surpassing the previous annual record set in 2019 by more than 14,000 ha (35,000 acres); it has also had the highest number of fires larger than 30 ha (74 acres) at 175, an increase of 24 from the previous record set in 2022.[33]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Spain: 3
    Turkey: 3
  2. ^ France: 119+
    Spain: 5
    Germany: 2
  3. ^ Turkey: 52,000+
    Greece: 5,000+
    France: 400
    Germany: 100

References

  1. ^ "Zjarri në një pyll në Finiq, shkak rënia e një pishe mbi telat e linjës së energjisë elektrike". Gazeta Shqip (in Albanian). 2 July 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  2. ^ "Η Ελλάδα στέλνει στην Αλβανία δύο Canadair για τη μεγάλη πυρκαγιά στη Λέσνιτσα". Kathimerini (in Greek). 6 July 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  3. ^ "Požari na hrvatskom primorju pod kontrolom, traga se za piromanima". BBC News Serbian (in Serbian). 22 June 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  4. ^ "Požar kod Omiša pod kontrolom, pred vatrogascima budna noć". Al Jazeera Balkans (in Serbo-Croatian). 21 June 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  5. ^ "Požar zahvatio jednu od najvećih uljara u Hrvatskoj: "Urušio se krov, nitko ne može ući..."". Dnevnik.hr (in Croatian). 21 June 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  6. ^ "Incendie dans l'Aude : le suspect, qui transportait un barbecue mal éteint, mis en examen et placé en détention provisoire". Le Monde (in French). 1 July 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  7. ^ "Incendie de forêt près de Narbonne : 2.000 hectares parcourus, l'A9 toujours fermée et des habitants évacués". La Montagne (in French). 9 July 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  8. ^ "Incendie à Marseille : "Le feu n'est pas fixé, le travail des pompiers va durer toute la nuit", annonce Bruno Retailleau". La Provence (in French). 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  9. ^ Jensch, Nele (3 July 2025). "Wildfires in eastern Germany injure firefighters and force evacuations". AP News. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  10. ^ Berry, Alex (4 July 2025). "1,000 firefighters deployed against blazes in Saxony, Thuringia". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  11. ^ Papanikolaou, Nikos; Wertheimer, Tiffany (23 June 2025). "Wildfires rage on Greek island of Chios". BBC News. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  12. ^ "Woman arrested over wildfires which raged for three days on the Greek island of Chios". Sky News. 26 June 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  13. ^ Papanikolaou, Nikos (26 June 2025). "Homes burn in Greece as wildfire sweeps through coastal towns". BBC News. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  14. ^ Henley, Jon; Giuffrida, Angela (3 July 2025). "Crete wildfire forces 1,500 to evacuate as Europe heatwave continues". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  15. ^ Stamatopoulou, Anastasia (4 July 2025). ""Οι πυροσβέστες μπήκαν κυριολεκτικά μέσα στη φωτιά"". Kathimerini (in Greek). Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  16. ^ "Φωτιά στον Αγιο Δημήτριο Κορωπίου – Στη μάχη εναέρια μέσα, ήχησε το «112»". Kathimerini (in Greek). 4 July 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  17. ^ "Εύβοια: Καλύτερη η εικόνα της φωτιάς στην Κάρυστο – Μάχη με τις αναζωπυρώσεις". Kathimerini (in Greek). 5 July 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  18. ^ "Συνελήφθη 52χρονος για την πυρκαγιά στα Μεσοχώρια Ευβοίας". Kathimerini (in Greek). 5 July 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  19. ^ "Φωτιά στην Κοζάνη, κοντά στην Πανεπιστημιούπολη – 112 για εκκένωση". Kathimerini (in Greek). 7 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  20. ^ Mandić, Svetlana (4 July 2025). "Nikšićki vatrogasci treći dan gase šumski požar kod Gornjih Crkvica". Vijesti (in Montenegrin). Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  21. ^ van Dam, Erik (4 April 2025). "130 hectare verwoest bij heidebrand in Ede, dit weten we tot nu toe". Omroep Gelderland (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  22. ^ El Bakkali, Lina; Cardoen, Sandra (4 April 2025). "Natuurbrand in Drunen net over grens met Nederland onder controle, brandweer moet wel nog nablussen". VRT NWS (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  23. ^ "Incêndio em Castelo Branco mobiliza mais de 170 operacionais". Público (in Portuguese). 29 June 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  24. ^ Carranco, Rebeca; Lopez Congostrina, Alfonso (2 July 2025). "Un incendio de sexta generación y a velocidad de récord deja un granjero y un trabajador muertos en Lleida". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  25. ^ "Muere un concejal del PP al ayudar a sofocar un incendio en San Cristovo de Cea, en Ourense". El País (in Spanish). 2 July 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  26. ^ Márquez Daniel, Carlos (8 July 2025). "Bombers avisa de un fuego de "larga duración" si las llamas asaltan el parque natural de Els Ports". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  27. ^ "Syrian authorities evacuate citizens amid major forest fires". The Jordan Times. 5 July 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  28. ^ "Turkey sends firefighting aircraft to Syria as wildfires rage on both sides of the border". ABC News. 5 July 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  29. ^ "Turkiye battles wildfires in Izmir for second day, 50,000 people evacuated". Al Jazeera. 30 June 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  30. ^ "Turkiye's Izmir, Hatay and Syria's Latakia regions affected by wildfires". Al Jazeera. 5 July 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  31. ^ "Turkey sends firefighting aircraft to Syria as wildfires rage on both sides of the border". AP News. 5 July 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  32. ^ Poynting, Mark; Rivault, Erwan (27 April 2025). "Area burned by UK wildfires in 2025 already at annual record". BBC News. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  33. ^ "EFFIS Annual Statistics for United Kingdom". EFFIS. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
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