Europe is on track for its worst wildfire season on record as swaths of the continent — including France, Spain, Albania, Portugal and Greece — battle raging, deadly fires as temperature soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wildfires are not unusual in Europe but the climate crisis is driving hotter, drier weather, which is setting the stage for fiercer fire seasons.
Blazes on the continent have burned through more acres so far this year than any of the last 19 years, according to a CNN analysis of data from the European Forest Fire Information System.
Nearly 2.4 million acres have been consumed by fires to date, more than double the average amount of land burned — which would normally be just over 865,000 acres by early August — putting 2025 on pace to be the most expansive European wildfire season to date.
In Spain, nearly 1,000 firefighters have been deployed across the country and the fires have led to thousands being put under evacuation orders.
A large fire broke out in Tres Cantos near Madrid Monday, burning through around 2,500 acres and killing one man, who died in hospital after suffering burns over 98% of his body, according to a Reuters report.
The fire had largely been contained by Tuesday but dozens of fires raged elsewhere, including in the northwest region of Castille and Leon.
In southern Spain, around 2,000 people, including tourists, have been evacuated from the popular town of Tarifa as a wildfire blazed in view of the beaches. Celebrity chef José Andrés posted images Tuesday from the area showing flames burning across the hillsides.
There may be little respite from fire risk in Spain as temperatures in parts of the country push above 110 degrees Fahrenheit this week. “The danger is extraordinary,” warned the Spanish weather agency AEMET Tuesday of the heat.
Fires are also burning across Portugal. A large fire near Trancoso in central Portugal has burned through more than 7,500 acres, according to Europe’s Copernicus Emergency Management Service. Around 1,200 firefighters and 400 vehicles have been mobilized to battle the blaze.
Fires in the district of Vila Real in north Portugal have been burning for 10 days. “We are being cooked alive, this cannot continue,” said Alexandre Favaios, the mayor, according to a Reuters report.
Temperatures are expected to exceed 104 degrees in many parts of the country Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the country’s weather agency, IPMA.
Blazes have spread across southern Europe in recent days. Dozens of fires ignited near Mount Vesuvius in southern Italy on Sunday, closing mountain trails. The country’s health ministry has issued red heat alerts for 16 cities.
In France, a huge wildfire in the southern region of Aude — the country’s largest since 1949, officials said — is now mostly contained, but officials are concerned it could reignite as a punishing heat wave continues. The fire claimed at least one life last week.
Many Balkans countries have also been battling to bring fires under control. Dozens of blazes are raging across Albania, including near the “Blue Eye,” a water spring and protected nature park popular with tourists.
In neighboring Montenegro, fires burning near the capital Podgorica sent plumes of smoke over the city, and in Croatia, firefighters managed to contain a fire that blazed near the city of Split Monday.
Europe is the world’s fastest warming continent and record heat and drought have helped fuel this summer’s fires. Scientists warn that as the human-caused climate crisis escalates, wildfires will only become more frequent and more severe.
CNN Lead Meteorologist Brandon Miller contributed to this report.
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