Wildfires in Europe typically start from a single spark—whether from lightning, arson, or machinery—but experts emphasize that underlying conditions have made these fires more severe and harder to control.

Authorities investigating recent fires in France and Spain found that sparks from heavy machinery and brush-clearing equipment ignited some blazes. However, scientists argue that these ignition sources alone do not explain the scale of the megafires devastating the continent this summer.

Experts point to a combination of human-caused climate change, insufficient planning, and forest management decisions that have increased fire risks. Silvia Abruscato, coordinator of FoRISK, a pan-European forest risk management hub, said, "You have to have the right climatic conditions." Francesca Di Giuseppe, a fire forecast project coordinator at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, added, "When all three of these conditions are very much fire-prone and they align, then you have this kind of fire event."

The European Commission highlighted that in some regions, farmland and lower-biomass shrubland were replaced by fire-prone conifer or eucalyptus species due to their higher economic profitability, which has increased fire risk. This shift, combined with an abundance of biomass that rapidly dried during heat waves, has contributed to the fires' intensity.

One notable example is Europe's largest man-made forest, created after Napoleon III ordered marshes drained and planted with pine in 1857, which now presents significant fire hazards.

According to EU figures, this year's wildfires have already emitted nearly 18 million tons of CO2, exacerbating climate change concerns.

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