Nearly 250,000 people were evacuated in France this week as wildfires destroyed 42,000 hectares of forest west of Bordeaux. The fires come amid an extremely hot summer across Europe, affecting countries from the Atlantic coast to the eastern Mediterranean.
The United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Greece, and Turkey have also been battling wildfires, with the El Niño weather pattern contributing additional heat to the atmosphere. England and Wales are experiencing their driest July in nearly 200 years, according to the Met Office, which cited a combination of prolonged heatwave, abundant sunshine, and exceptionally low rainfall.
In Greece, over 300 firefighters are actively combating fires near Porto Germeno, about 70 kilometres northwest of Athens in the Viotia region.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told RTL radio, "It's stabilised, but not totally stopped," describing the fires as "vicious." Cooler, more humid air later in the week allowed two-thirds of the 224,000 evacuees in southwest France to return home.
Australia has deployed firefighters to assist Europe, with Minister McBain stating, "Australia has some of the finest fire-fighting capability on the planet and we are only too happy to do whatever we can to assist, just as France came to our aid during the 2019-2020 Black Summer Bushfires."
Notable Quotes
- "It's stabilised, but not totally stopped," said French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez.
- "This is the first fire I'm experiencing real-time, and I can tell you it's vicious," said a 64-year-old observer.
- "No matter how much we try to extinguish it, re-extinguish it, re-extinguish it, it keeps restarting."
- "The fire has reached the sea … homes have certainly been damaged," officials reported.
Summary
Europe is enduring a severe wildfire season exacerbated by record heat and drought conditions. Australia has responded by sending firefighting support to Greece and France, continuing international cooperation in wildfire management.
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