2 weeks ago
Europe battles wildfires as record heat and drought fuel blazes
This summer, Europe is very hot and very dry, which makes wildfires easy to start and hard to stop.
Wildfires are big fires that spread quickly through trees and dry land.
Many countries in Europe were fighting these fires at the same time.
In France, more than 500 people had to leave their homes because of a new fire, and last month a big fire near Bordeaux made about 250,000 people leave.
In England, a fire destroyed around 20 to 30 homes in a town called Stourbridge.
In Germany, everyone in the village of Gey had to leave because the fire came close.
In Croatia, one person sadly died and 14 people were hurt and stayed in hospital.
Many people in Europe had to escape by sea when fires blocked the land.
Scientists say the very hot weather is partly caused by climate change, which comes from human activities.
Firefighters worked very hard to protect homes, forests and people.
Firefighters across Europe battled multiple wildfires on Friday as record-breaking heat and severe drought forced thousands of people to evacuate.
France, experiencing its driest year on record, was among the worst-hit countries, with a new blaze in the Landes region forcing more than 500 people from their homes in Luglon.
In Stourbridge, central England, a wildfire destroyed around 20 to 30 homes, and 19 people and six firefighters were hospitalised in West Midlands fires.
A fire in Spain's Huelva province burned more than 300 square kilometres, while all 1,800 residents of Gey in Germany were evacuated as flames neared the Hürtgen forest.
In Croatia one person died and 14 were hospitalised after a fire near Omis, and extreme temperatures across Europe have been linked to human-caused climate change.
- Who
- Firefighters, local authorities and residents across Europe, including utility company EDF and local lawmaker Cat Eccles
- What
- Multiple wildfires fueled by record heat and severe drought swept across large parts of Europe, forcing evacuations and damaging homes and infrastructure
- Where
- France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Croatia, Albania, Greece, Belgium and the Netherlands
- When
- Friday, after Britain recorded its hottest day of the year on Thursday
- Why
- Record-breaking temperatures, severe drought and strong winds turned much of the continent into tinderboxes, with the extreme heat linked to human-caused climate change
Key facts
- France drought
- Driest year on record
- Stourbridge homes destroyed
- Around 20 to 30 homes
- Britain's hottest day
- 38.1°C recorded in west London on Thursday
- England and Wales July rainfall
- Driest month since records began in 1836
- Huelva fire size
- More than 300 square kilometres burned
- Gey evacuation
- All 1,800 residents evacuated in western Germany
- Germany heat-related deaths
- About 12,500 estimated between January 1 and August 2 by the Robert Koch Institute
- EDF nuclear reactors
- Six reactors shut down due to heat and drought









