Heat Sparks Growing Wildfire Emergency in Southern Europe

(MENAFN) Southern Europe is facing a growing wildfire emergency as extreme heat and prolonged drought conditions sweep across France, Spain, and Portugal, triggering top-level alerts and large-scale firefighting mobilizations.

In France, media reported that the southern department of Aude was placed on red alert—the highest fire risk level—by Meteo-France on Tuesday. The warning cited “very high” danger driven by intense heat and dry winds.

The Carcassonne region, already scarred by large-scale fires in July, is again at risk, with temperatures expected to reach 35°C (95°F) in cities like Narbonne and Castelnaudary. In early July, over 1,000 firefighters battled a blaze in the area that consumed more than 2,000 hectares.

Nine additional French departments—including Haute-Garonne, Hérault, Gard, and Bouches-du-Rhône—are under orange alert, signaling a "high" fire threat. Meteo-France cautioned that “weather conditions make the risk of forest and vegetation fires starting and spreading very high compared to summer norms.”

The heat wave is also intensifying across the Iberian Peninsula.

In Spain, temperatures are soaring 5 to 10°C (41–50°F) above seasonal averages, prompting the national meteorological agency Aemet to issue multiple orange alerts. “The heat wave is likely to be long and persist at least until next Sunday,” Aemet stated on X.

In Galicia, a wildfire in Vilardevos (Ourense) has burned through 570 hectares, though it was stabilized late Sunday, according to the Military Emergency Unit. Over 100 personnel, 10 aircraft, and multiple ground vehicles are working to prevent it from reigniting, media reported.

Meanwhile, three active fires in Ponteceso (A Coruña) have affected over 400 hectares.

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