MADRID: Wildfires intensified across southern Europe this week as a severe heatwave pushed temperatures above 40°C, driving flames through forests, farmlands, and popular tourist spots. Spain, Portugal, Greece, Türkiye, France, and parts of the Balkans have reported mass evacuations, fatalities, and extensive environmental damage, highlighting the growing impact of climate change on the Mediterranean fire season.

In Spain, a blaze near Madrid’s Tres Cantos consumed more than 1,000 hectares, killing one man and forcing around 180 people to flee. In the coastal town of Tarifa, flames swept dangerously close to whitewashed villas, prompting the evacuation of over 2,000 people. Helicopters dropped seawater to slow the fire’s advance, while in northern Spain, intense “fire whirls” threatened UNESCO-listed Las Medulas park, displacing around 800 residents. Portuguese officials reported more than 52,000 hectares burned this year, with some incidents suspected to be arson.

Greece also faced multiple outbreaks. A wildfire near Athens reached the town of Keratea, where an elderly man was found dead in a burned building. Strong winds risk reigniting the blaze, while separate fires on islands such as Zakynthos and Cephalonia forced additional evacuations. In Türkiye’s Çanakkale province, most fires have now been contained after two days of destruction, though earlier summer blazes in İzmir caused significant property losses and displaced thousands.

France has been battling its largest wildfire since 1949 in the Aude region, which scorched up to 17,000 hectares and destroyed dozens of homes before being largely contained. In the Balkans, Serbia’s Dry Mountain region is struggling with both wildfires and acute drought, which is harming livestock and depleting water supplies.

Since June, at least 23 people have died and more than 65,000 have been evacuated across Europe. Over 227,000 hectares of land have burned, double the average for the past two decades. Officials warn that the combination of prolonged heat waves, drought, and high winds is creating increasingly dangerous fire conditions.

In an innovative prevention effort, Catalonia in Spain has deployed goat herds to graze on dry vegetation, creating natural firebreaks while supporting local agriculture. Authorities across Europe are now calling for stronger climate adaptation strategies to protect communities, ecosystems, and tourism industries from future wildfire disasters.