Hundreds of people have perished in wildfires across Europe over the last decade, a grim toll that climate change is expected to drive even higher in the coming years. A recent wildfire in southern Spain killed at least 11 people overnight into Friday morning, making it one of the country’s deadliest on record as soaring temperatures gripped much of the nation.
Europe is experiencing warming at twice the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Scientists warn that climate change, partly fueled by the burning of fossil fuels like gasoline, oil, and coal, is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, rendering certain regions more susceptible to wildfires.
Greece recorded its deadliest wildfire in 2018 when a massive blaze swept through the seaside town of Mati, east of Athens. The fire trapped people in their homes and on roads as they attempted to flee, resulting in over 100 deaths. Some victims drowned while trying to escape the flames by swimming. In 2023, Greek wildfires claimed more than 20 lives, including 18 migrants who were trapped by flames in what became Europe’s largest single recorded wildfire as they traversed a forest in northeastern Greece. More recently, a wildfire in northern Greece last week resulted in the deaths of a 12-year-old boy and his father.
In Turkey, 10 firefighters and rescue workers, including members of the AKUT rescue organization, died last July while battling a wildfire in a forested area of Eskisehir province in northwestern Turkey. Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli stated at the time that sudden wind shifts caused the flames to change direction and surround the forestry workers. Among the victims was a 28-year-old man who had returned to work from his honeymoon just two days prior. Another victim, an AKUT volunteer, had spent a month rescuing people following a catastrophic earthquake in southern Turkey in February 2023.
Portugal's deadliest wildfire occurred in 2017 in Pedrogao Grande, approximately 200 kilometers northeast of Lisbon, leaving 66 people dead. The majority of victims died on a single road while attempting to flee in their cars. In response, the Portuguese government enacted measures to prevent and contain wildfires, including public education campaigns, establishing a rapid reaction firefighter force, cutting thousands of kilometers of firebreaks, and increasing firefighting assets.
In Cyprus, many officials have attributed the ferocity and speed of recent wildfires to climate change, with at least six lives lost over the past five years. In July 2021, the charred remains of four Egyptian laborers were discovered outside a fire-swept mountain village in what an official described as the “most destructive” blaze the east Mediterranean island nation had ever experienced. Last July, rescue crews found the bodies of an elderly couple inside a gutted car on the shoulder of a mountain road. The speed at which the wildfire scorched roughly 50 square miles of forested hillsides prompted President Nikos Christodoulides to remark that “there’s never been anything like this before in Cyprus.”
The conditions in Cyprus were exacerbated by very strong winds, high temperatures, and extremely arid conditions following three consecutive winters of minimal rainfall, creating a perfect storm at the wildfire’s peak. A study by World Weather Attribution in August last year concluded that climate change, which has driven scorching temperatures and dwindling rainfall, made massive wildfires in Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus burn much more fiercely that summer.