August 2026 – Week 2

Updates by Anders Lorenzen and Evan Meikle

This week’s live blog is continuing to bring you up to speed with the climate-fueled extreme European wildfires. The extensive and large amount of wildfires are breaking out as a result of months of extreme heat and dry conditions.

We will track the active and emerging wildfires and report on the fatalities and overall impacts as data comes in, and will look at how governments are responding to the wildfire and crisis combined with viewpoints from experts.

It is updated dayly for the remainder of the week and into early next week.

Last week’s live blog can be found here.

This liveblog is now closed, but you can keep up-to date more broadly with the wildfires as well as extreme heat raging across the world in this week’s live blog below where we focus on the ecological impacts.

Latest

Friday 14th of August 2026

23:45 GMT

Wales: Today Andy Burnham, the Prime Minister of the UK, announced that the military has been dispatched to areas of South Wales to help combat the more than 30 wildfires currently active across the region. 

100 military personnel will be dispatched to the most affected areas and communities, including Blaenavon and Porth to assist with “additional logistical and defensive tactical support” after “an extended period of hot weather and significant operational demand”. 

This will be a welcome relief to the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service who have been battling fires daily since early July. 

22:00 GMT

Germany: Desperate scenes in Western Germany today as over 2,000 local residents were evacuated following the spread of a woodland wildfire. 

People living in the village of Gey were awoken at around 4am last night by local authorities evacuating the area. This came following a sudden shift in the overnight wind direction that pushed the flames to within 300 meters of the village border. 

The already pressing scenario has been complicated by the nearby presence of a disused ordinance depot with unexploded munitions dating from the Second World War present in the surrounding forest. 

Previously uncleared to the hill terrain, those on the scene have reported hearing the explosion of partially buried ordinance as the flames burnt on throughout the day. 

The hopes now are that the blaze does not reach the depot itself and that this dangerous factor does not have a detrimental impact on fire fighting efforts or risk the lives of anyone involved. 

16:55 GMT

Fire data: You can view all the latest data below:

16:50 GMT

Fire data: Our latest Europe-wide data shows that the wildfire situation continue to deteriorate. Major new fires have emerged in Croatia, Greece, Germany and the UK while France experiences renewed activity.

Although some of the major fires that drove the July crisis in Spain, Portugal and southwestern France have eased, extreme heat and worsening drought are sustaining very high fire danger across much of Europe.

The latest assessment from the EU scientific body JRC shows that the burned area across the 27-country member block had reached 505,683 ha by 5 August, already above the same point for the whole of 2025.

Thursday 13th of August 2026

23:45 GMT

EU: This summer is already one of Europe’s worst on record for wildfires, with over 1,600 incidents extinguished by early August. Not to mention the hundreds currently blazing across the continent. 

This is due in large part to equally record-high temperatures, which peaked at 48.8 °C on the 11th August in Sicily and have maintained 30-plus Celsius readings across Europe throughout the summer thus far. 

The result? 

Over 550,000 hectares of land within the EU have been burned as of 12 August 2026. Whilst not quite as high as the same date in 2025, which saw the worst fires on record, this is far beyond the 20-year average, which sits at approximately 243,000 hectares per year. 

Spain has taken the brunt of this damage, with 38% of the burnt area within its borders alone. Consequently, in France and Spain alone, 320,000 residents of at-risk towns and communities had been evacuated by the end of July. 

If there is anything that this summer can teach us about Europe’s future wildfire forecasts is that burns, as a result of extreme heat and dry weather, are no longer limited to the Mediterranean. Rather, they will be a part of north and central Europe’s summers well into the future – with increasingly destructive consequences.

23:15 GMT

Greece: Following the fire risk assessments made in multiple regions of Greece earlier this week, a further six regions have been classified as at “Very High” risk of wildfires. This concerning escalation in the nation’s threat level is worsened by the increased risk status of Attica, Central Greece, the Peloponnese region, and the North Aegean region to an “Extreme” fire risk. 

As the high temperatures persist, authorities and communities will find controlling the situation in Greece progressively more unmanageable. 

Wednesday 12th of August 2026

18:15 GMT

England: A fire in the shrublands surrounding Land’s End Airport in Cornwall has broken out at around 12:20 GMT today, with fire crews deployed immediately to prevent the blaze from spreading. 

The fire has begun amid weeks of drought in the south-east of England, igniting in the grasslands of St Buryan, which were described as “exceptionally dry” by fire service personnel at the scene. 

Despite producing a wall of black smoke stretching around 300-400 meters across west Cornwall, initial assessments remain optimistic about the extent of burn damage. At present, it appears that the fire has not spread to the nearby forested areas which would sustain more long-term damage and is contained within the resilient grass and shrub lands. 

Local authorities have deployed four fire-fighting “appliances” to combat and prevent the spread of the flame and have shut the nearby airport as a temporary precaution. 

As the temperature looks to drop to the low twenties across the weekend, Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service hope to see a decrease in the frequency of similar events. 

Scenes like these will be more and more familiar to residents of the UK’s rural regions, where increasingly dry conditions are vulnerable to sudden wildfire outbreaks. It has become an annual feature of many regions’ summer months that these blazes blacken their hillsides and threaten their towns. As the nation continues to get hotter, wildfires may become the norm, and adaptation will be needed.

Tuesday 11th of August 2026

16:00 GMT

Greece: Greek authorities have raised their fire readiness levels across five regions as the threat of further major burn damage increases.  

As the focus of Europe’s rash of wildfires moves steadily east, the Balkans and Greece have experienced the bulk of events in the early periods of this month. Greece’s Civil Protection Secretariat yesterday issued a map of new areas under a Very High Fire Risk (Risk Category 4) for the 11th of August. 

Temperatures will maintain their extreme summer highs, reaching up to 38 °C in some mainland regions. 

This worrying update has been made ahead of strong northerly winds that are expected to pass through much of western mainland Greece and its islands, including Attica, the Peloponnese, Central Greece (including the island of Skyros), and both the North and South Aegean regions.

Forecasts predict that the combination of dry conditions and strong winds of up to 46mph will significantly increase the chance of sudden and expanding fires. 

This will be unwelcome news to residents and those attempting to combat the existing fires that have been burning since late July.  

Over 50 wildfires have been reported across the country, with the largest focused in the north-eastern suburbs of Athens, where thousands have been evacuated, as well as on the island of Crete, where the peak of the tourism season has been seriously impacted by the dangerous situation there. 

Residents and visitors across the regions have been advised to avoid going outside or engaging in activities that could worsen the already volatile situation. It remains to be seen, however, just when this particular front in Europe’s summer of heatwaves and wildfires will be won, as respite from the extreme heat does not seem to be near. 

15:40 GMT

England: Back to England where three quarters of the country has now been declared in drought with some areas not having received any rain for over 60 days.

These bone-dry conditions obviously only raises the risk and creates the perfect wildfire conditions.

There are no immediate signs for respite as many parts of the UK are bracing for the country’s fifth heatwave of the year.

11:40 GMT

Canada: We also provides live updates on the extreme wildfires that is right now tearing through the Canadian province of British Columbia:

11:40 GMT

England: While the New Forest fire has been brought under control, experts are are concerned about it’s impacts that could have long-lasting impacts.

According to the New Forest national park authority the protected heathland is home to several rare species, and there’s growing concerns some of these could be lost from the area.

Gillie Molland, the lead ranger at the park authority shared her concern:

Heathland is more rare than rainforest and takes decades to develop – the New Forest has the most extensive area of lowland heath remaining in Europe. The loss of rare species and biodiversity is devastating and upsets the delicate ecological balance of the forest, as well as reducing grazing land available for commoners’ animals. Some rare heathland species may be lost or recover very slowly if local populations have been affected.

The species threatened by the fire includes all six UK native reptiles, Dartford warblers, nightjars and insects.

Yesterday more than 120 firefighters, 10 fire engines and 13 off-road vehicles were on scene tackling the devastating fire.

The so-called “fire wave” currently under way in the UK is the most widespread the country has ever seen, and experts say it bears all the footprints of the climate crisis and what climate science tells us. The combination of wet winters and prolonged heatwaves has exacerbated the risk.

11:30 GMT

England: After battling it for two nights, firefighters have finally gotten a wildfire under control that had broken out in the ecological sensitive New Forest National park.

Monday 10th of August 2026

23:50 GMT

Serbia: Following weeks of extreme heat, with temperatures reaching up to 40 °C, numerous wildfires that broke out in Vojvodina, northern Serbia on the 2nd of August are continuing to spread across the region. 

Whilst the outbreak started with localised fires, Serbian authorities acted quickly, deploying the national military to support firefighting efforts. Despite this, as the extreme heat persists across the Balkans, the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) has reassessed fire danger to “Very High” in parts of northern Serbia.

Data produced today by Copernicus, a satellite fire-mapping service, now shows a burnt region of over 188 hectares (ha), a considerable size given that the original area at risk comprised only 140.488 hectares. 

Already, local communities, including the village of Sumarak, have been forced to evacuate, yet the population at immediate risk remains low at present.

The main areas affected by the fires so far have been predominantly rural, consisting mostly of small mountain communities. The impact on the roads and infrastructure essential for supporting these communities is, however, under threat, with 70km of roads at risk of damage. 

Without a drop in temperature, which remains high at a stifling 34 °C today, or a change in the extremely dry climate, these wildfires and those like them across Europe will be hard to stop or prevent.  

However, today’s reports do provide some hope for the outcome in Serbia, with two of the seven active flames put out since yesterday. Nonetheless, the harsh climate and shrubland terrain will continue to prove difficult for any firefighting and containment efforts. 

Sunday 9th of August 2026

22:00 GMT

Canada: We are briefly turning our attention away from Europe and to Canada where wildfires in the province of British Columbia has triggered a state of emergency and forced the evacuation of an entire town, the community of Summerland that is home to 12,000 people.

The state of emergency declared by the Premier David Eby comes as 100 fires are burning in the province and 22,000 people are under evacuation orders and 9,700 have been told to be ready to move.

The largest fire in the province, the Bald Range wildfire was first detected on Friday evening and grew to about 50 sq km (19 sq miles) within hours, overwhelming the smaller community of Faulder and covering the roughly 15km (9 miles) to Summerland at lightning speed.

Saturday 8th of August 2026

21:20 GMT

Italy: A large wildfire broke out near the iconic Italian tourist destination, Lake Garda, on Friday evening and have already prompted the evacuation of at least 200 people.

Firefighters are struggling with containing the Tignale wildfires, prompting concerns for the region that is in its peak tourism period.

Friday 7th of August 2026

16:40 GMT

Wildfire data: The geographical shift of Europe’s wildfires is evident by looking at the currently five largest active wildfires with four out of those being located in the eastern part of Europe, with only, the now contained Girond wildfire being in central/southern Europe.

16:30 GMT

Wildfire data: Our latest wildfire data shows there is a slight increase in the amount of major active wildfires compared to around the same period last week – up by 2-4 fires to 30-32 up from last weeks 28.

You can explore all the latest wildfire data on our dedicated wildfire page linked to below:

10:45 GMT

EU: Considering the extreme wildfire situation in Europe this summer, The European Union (EU) will push its member countries to invest more in environmental management to reduce wildfire risk, the bloc’s environment commissioner said Thursday, according to Reuters. This comes in the wake of ​experts warning that the economic cost of this summer’s blazes have already exceeded €15 billion.

10:40 GMT

Particle pollution: Wildfires knows no borders.

The extreme wildfires in southern Europe is felt all the way to the UK.

According to Dr Mark Parrington, a senior scientist at the EU’s scientific body, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service the Recent wildfires in south-western Europe produced large quantities of smoke, which caused significant degradation air quality across southern France and central regions of Spain.

Dr Parrington further added that:

“This was particularly notable in the cities of Bordeaux and Madrid, which were immediately downwind of the largest wildfires, in Gironde and Ávila respectively, with local measurements of PM_2.5 indicating concentrations well above the air quality guidelines.”

Wednesday 5th of August 2026

23:40 GMT

Italy: Wildfires in Italy has so far burned 70,000 hectares. The worst could yet be to come as extreme heat returning to the country with regions putting in place emergency status.

23:20 GMT

Wildfire data: The latest European wildfire data show that the situation remains severe. While conditions in southern Europe is stable and even improving in some places, extreme heat has pushed the highest wildfire danger eastwards. Greece has overtaken France and Spain as Europe’s principal wildfire hotspot, Albania is experiencing rapidly worsening conditions, and exceptional temperatures across central Europe have significantly increased wildfire risk ahead of the next phase of the fire season.

Tuesday 4th of August 2026

11:20 GMT

Wildfire data: You can check out all the latest wildfire data in our brand-new dedicated wildfire page below:

Monday 3rd of August 2026

21:15 GMT

Greece: For the fourth day running, firefighters remained locked in a major battle against the wildfire northwest of Athens as strong winds continue to hamper containment efforts.

Having already destroyed homes, agricultural land and pine forests, the blaze has forced the evacuation of thousands of residents in recent days.

Authorities are now investigating whether faulty electricity infrastructure was responsible for igniting the fire, while two people have reportedly been arrested on negligent arson charges.

The tragedy has also deepened following Sunday’s fatal collision involving two firefighting helicopters, which claimed the lives of two crew members, a Greek and a Danish national.