EU wildfires burn three times the usual land with a month of summer left

EU fire risk through July 2026 hit 43% above the 20-year average, EFFIS data shows. About 435,000 hectares — roughly the size of four Londons — burned across the EU, triple the norm, across some 1,400 fires. France already broke its full-year record by late July. The numbers could rise further, with August still ahead.