Wildfires burn record area in France as Europe’s risk intensifies

{"text":[[{"start":10.8,"text":"Wildfires have destroyed an unprecedented area in France and accounted for a record number of blazes in Spain this year, as the risks across Europe have escalated during back-to-back heatwaves and drought in many areas."}],[{"start":24.25,"text":"FT analysis shows the burnt area in France was about four times greater than the average at more than 41,000 hectares, compared with about 9,400 on average, including 2,000 hectares of Fontainebleau forest, a Unesco biosphere reserve near Paris."}],[{"start":41.75,"text":"The data from the European Forest Fire Information System also showed the number of blazes in both Spain and France was at an all-time high for this time of year."}],[{"start":52.05,"text":"Spain has suffered 330 fires so far in 2026, triple the average, which have claimed 13 lives and burnt more than 65,000 hectares, more than double the average."}],[{"start":66.3,"text":"Scientists said the combination of scorching conditions, high winds and increased dryness of vegetation had elevated the risk of an intense fire season. Last month was the hottest June on record for western Europe. "}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":80.2,"text":"Europe is not alone among northern hemisphere regions with proximity to the Arctic to suffer from extreme conditions related to climate change, as the melt of snow and ice exposes darker ground that absorbs the sun’s rays and contributes to faster-than-average global warming."}],[{"start":97.65,"text":"More than 110 wildfires were considered “out of control” in Canada on Thursday, with heavy smoke from the blazes spreading as far as the US Midwest and north-east."}],[{"start":107.9,"text":"In the UK, fires were spreading fast through the Cairngorms heathlands in Scotland on Thursday, while the Dovestone moorlands in the Peak District continued to smoulder for the fifth day, as the nation battled a “firewave”."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":121.5,"text":"After three heatwaves since May across western Europe and the UK, forecasts indicate that temperatures should fall from their highs as July progresses but will remain above average. Initial indications suggest temperatures will be above average on the continent for much of August. "}],[{"start":138.5,"text":"“Our initial analysis suggests we are seeing [fire] conditions similar to those that preceded last year’s record-breaking fire season across parts of Europe,” said Joe McNorton, fire scientist at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts."}],[{"start":154.45,"text":"“Across much of the Mediterranean, July and August are typically the peak wildfire months, so we are only now entering the climatological peak of the fire season,” he said, adding that if the present warm and dry weather continued, there was a risk of “elevated wildfire activity”."}],[{"start":171.04999999999998,"text":"Scientists say that although most wildfires are caused by human activity, climate change is increasing their frequency and intensity. "}],[{"start":178.35,"text":"Guillermo Rein, professor of fire science at Imperial College London, said he was “very worried about this summer session in Europe”, adding that after the recent heatwaves, “vegetation is unusually dry, even for summertime”, making it more flammable. The “worst-case combination” included that nearby communities were unprepared, he added."}],[{"start":199.25,"text":"“These conditions cause flames to spread extremely rapidly towards homes and evacuees, overwhelming fire brigades operating in extraordinarily difficult circumstances,” he said."}],[{"start":210.05,"text":"“But firefighters cannot be expected to stop every extreme wildfire. By the time a wildfire reaches a large scale, most of the opportunities to prevent a disaster have already been lost.”"}],[{"start":221.5,"text":"It took firefighters two days to contain a large fire that took hold on Sunday in the historic forest of Fontainebleau, just south of Paris, in an area popular with hikers and with tourists drawn by its château. Previous outbreaks have been rare and contained."}],[{"start":236.75,"text":"Villages were spared, with firefighting planes intervening for the first time in the area and picking up water from the Seine River to douse the pines, while some 1,000 people were evacuated, according to AFP. Just under 10 per cent of the surface of the forest was destroyed. "}],[{"start":252.2,"text":"Local prosecutors said they had made arrests in connection with the blazes, which began in different sections of the forest on different days. Other fires that broke out in the past week, including in Brittany, have now also been contained."}],[{"start":265.34999999999997,"text":"The data from the EFFIS show that the burnt area in the EU is far above average this year, at almost 175,000ha compared with about 110,000ha on average."}],[{"start":276.99999999999994,"text":"Mark Parrington, senior scientist in the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, said that while fires in northern Portugal, Spain and France had “some devastating local impacts, they haven’t as yet been having a clear impact on local or regional air quality”."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":293.84999999999997,"text":"Where climate change meets business, markets and politics. Explore the FT’s coverage here."}],[{"start":299.9,"text":"Are you curious about the FT’s environmental sustainability commitments? Find out more about our science-based targets here"}],[{"start":315.25,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1784244783_8911.mp3"}