EU wildfire season burns triple the average area with one month of summer left

EU fire weather through July 2026 ran 43% above the 20-year average, EFFIS data shows. Roughly 435,000 hectares burned across the bloc — triple the historical norm — across some 1,400 fires, more than double the average. France already broke its full-year burned-area record by late July. The figures may be revised further, with August still ahead.