Europe’s Wildfires Have Burned the Most Land in Nearly 20 Years

Four major heat waves, dry conditions and strong winds have turned Europe into a tinderbox this summer, fueling the most destructive wildfire season in nearly two decades.

Blazes have scorched about 8,948 square kilometers (3,455 square miles) across the European Union in 2025 — more land than in any year since 2006, according to new satellite estimates from the Copernicus space program.