A prolonged drought and an extreme heatwave are fueling a rash of severe wildfires across southern Europe. Firefighters are battling blazes across at least 10 Mediterranean countries. The fires started the first week of August. They've killed at least seven people. They've also injured dozens. Many of the fires remain out of control. Strong winds have spread them. They've caused “red weather alerts” to be in effect across much of the region. Meanwhile, temperatures have climbed to 110 degrees Fahrenheit in some places. "We are being cooked alive,” Alexandre Favaios, mayor of Vila Real in Portugal, told Reuters. As the mayor spoke, three active fires burned near the city. Many nearby towns have been evacuated too. For the past 10 days, 1,300 Portuguese firefighters have battled blazes there. Similar events have caused the evacuations of thousands across Europe. Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, and Croatia are plagued by fires too. Victims of these fires include a horse stable worker. The worker was killed in a Madrid suburb. A Hungarian seasonal farm worker also died while picking fruit in Albania. An army soldier fighting a fire in Kuci, Montenegro also died. He was killed when a water tanker he was using flipped over. Meanwhile, a 4-year-old Romanian boy died from heatstroke on Monday. He was on the Italian island of Sardinia. Meteorologists blame a large high-pressure system. It has spread dry, warm air across Europe. It has raised temps and the fire risk. But they also blame climate change. It has made Europe the fastest-warming continent on Earth. This has also placed it at a greater risk for heatwaves and wildfires. Data collected between 2023 to early 2025 show that Europe’s warming rate of 2.2-2.3 degrees Celsius was double the global average. Reflect: How do extreme weather events affect the way you think about the environment and your role in protecting it? Photo of wildfire in Portugal from Reuters.
