Fire weather conditions across the European Union have reached record severity for this time of year, according to new data. Figures from the European Forest Fire Information Service (Effis) indicate that hot, dry, and windy weather since the start of the year has been 43% more severe than the end-of-July average over the past two decades.
Firefighters are actively working to extinguish blazes across the Mediterranean region. Three firefighters died in Greece on Tuesday, following the death of another in Italy last week. In France, a fire near Bordeaux generated a rare thunderstorm, and 91,000 hectares have burned, surpassing the country's full-year record with a month of summer remaining.
In Spain, 207,000 hectares have burned, nearly five times the average for this period. While the fire situation near Madrid has been declared stable, a new fire near the Portuguese border led to the evacuation of 600 people. More than 300,000 people have been displaced from their homes and tourist accommodation in France and Spain this month, prompting requests for EU support.
Officials at the EU's crisis management centre anticipate difficult weeks ahead as fires are expected to worsen in Italy and Greece. Both Italy and Portugal have experienced near-record numbers of fires and burned areas well above average.