European wildfire overview

Europe at a glance

Last updated: 14 August 2026

Indicator	Updated value	Change
Countries with active major wildfires	9	▲
Area burned in Europe (2026)	≈568,000 ha*	▲▲
Highest fire danger	Very Extreme	➡️
Overall weekly trend	Worsening and spreading	▲
Dashboard updated	14 August 2026

07 August 2026 update

Indicator	Updated value	Change
Countries with active major wildfires	9	▲ (Albania added)
Area burned in Europe (2026)	≈445,000–450,000 ha*	▲
Highest fire danger	Very Extreme	➡️
Overall weekly trend	Shifting eastwards	▲
Dashboard updated	5 August 2026

03 August 2026 Update

Countries with active major wildfires	8
Area burned in 2026	434,976 ha
Highest fire danger	Very Extreme
Weekly trend	Worsening
Last update	3 August

Current situation

Last updated: 14 August 2026

Indicator	Current value	Trend
Fires recorded in 2026*	1,647	▲ Increasing
Area burned in 2026*	568,415 ha	▲▲ Increasing
Area burned by 12 August	567,097 ha	▲▲
Highest fire danger	Very Extreme	—
European fire-risk footprint	Widespread	▲ Increasing

07 August 2026 Update

Indicator	Current value	Trend
Active major wildfires	30–32	▲
Countries with active major fires	9	▲
Area burned (2026)	≈445,000–450,000 ha*	▲
Fires recorded (EFFIS)	Latest available official figure	▲
Highest fire danger	Very Extreme	➡️

03 August 2026 Update

Indicator	Current value	Trend
Active major wildfires	28	▲ Increasing
Countries with active major fires	8	▲
Area burned (2026)	434,976 ha	▲▲▲
Fires recorded (EFFIS)	1,407	▲
Highest fire danger	Very Extreme	—

Weekly overview

Last updated: 14 August 2026

Europe’s wildfire situation has broadened again, with major new fires emerging 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 JRC assessment shows that EU burned area had reached 505,683 hectares by 5 August, already above the same point in 2025.

August 2026 update

Europe’s wildfire season remains severe, but the geographical focus has shifted eastwards. While the largest fires in France, Spain and Portugal have largely been contained, Greece has become Europe’s principal wildfire hotspot and Albania is experiencing rapidly worsening conditions. Persistent heat and drought have also pushed wildfire danger to Very Extreme levels across parts of central Europe, including Austria and Slovenia, increasing the likelihood of new outbreaks during the coming week.

03 August 2026 update

Europe’s wildfire season has intensified significantly during the past week, with Greece and Türkiye experiencing rapidly worsening conditions while several of France’s largest fires have begun to stabilise. Although western Europe remains under severe fire danger, forecasts suggest the highest risk may continue shifting eastwards into southern and southeastern Europe during the coming days.

Current Europe wildfire tracker

Last updated: 14 August 2026

Country	Current status	Largest active or recently active fires	Fire danger	Trend since previous update	What has changed
🇵🇹 Portugal	🟡 Local activity	Northern/central Portugal	High	➡️ Stable / improving	The major July outbreak has eased considerably, with no comparable new national-scale emergency identified in the latest reporting.
🇪🇸 Spain	🟠 Multiple active fires	Huelva; Segovia; Huesca	Very High	↕ Mixed	Spain has improved from its July peak but remains under significant fire pressure. Active fires were still reported in Huelva, Segovia and Huesca this week. (Reuters)
🇫🇷 France	🔴 Multiple active fires	Landes/Luglon; Brittany; northern France	Very Extreme	🔺 Increasing	A new fire in Landes forced more than 500 evacuations on 14 August, while several other fires are burning. France is experiencing its driest year on record. (AP News)
🇮🇹 Italy	🟠 Multiple/local fires	Southern Italy; Sicily; northern/central areas	Extreme	🔺 Increasing risk	Severe drought and heat continue to create dangerous conditions, particularly in Italy’s north and south. The JRC identifies large areas of Italy among Europe’s drought hotspots. (Joint Research Centre)
🇬🇷 Greece	🔴 Major active outbreak	Halkidiki/Siviri; other northern and central areas	Extreme	🔺 Sharp increase	More than 300 people were evacuated by sea from Siviri on 13 August as a wind-driven fire threatened homes and resorts. More than 140 firefighters and extensive aerial resources were deployed. (Reuters)
🇹🇷 Türkiye	🟠 Active fires	Western and southern Türkiye	Very High	↕ Mixed	Fire activity remains significant, although the latest reporting does not show the same acceleration seen in Greece and Croatia.
🇭🇷 Croatia	🔴 Major active fire	Omiš/Lokva Rogoznica; Pelješac	Extreme	🔺 Sharp increase	A fire spread across more than 1,000 ha around Omiš, forcing around 1,000 people to evacuate and injuring 36 people. Another fire subsequently broke out on Pelješac. (Reuters)
🇲🇪 Montenegro	🟡 Local fires	Inland/coastal areas	High	➡️ Stable	Elevated Balkan fire weather persists, but I have not found evidence of a new dominant national-scale incident.
🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	🟡 Local/scattered	—	High	➡️ Stable	Drought and fire weather remain elevated, but no major new incident was verified in the latest reporting.
🇷🇸 Serbia	🟡 Local incidents	—	High	➡️ Stable	Conditions remain dry, but no comparable escalation has been verified.
🇦🇱 Albania	🟡 Local activity	Southern Albania	High–Extreme	↕ Mixed	Albania remains among the countries receiving European emergency wildfire support, but current reporting does not indicate a new event on the scale of the earlier August outbreaks. (Joint Research Centre)
🇲🇰 North Macedonia	🟡 Local risk	Central/southern areas	High	➡️ Stable	Elevated Balkan fire weather continues without a newly verified major outbreak.
🇷🇴 Romania	🟡 Local incidents/risk	Carpathian and eastern regions	High	↕ Mixed	Drought is significant, particularly in eastern and central Europe, but no major new Romanian wildfire has been verified in the latest reporting. (Joint Research Centre)
🇧🇬 Bulgaria	🟡 Local activity	Southern Bulgaria	High	➡️ Stable	Continued heat and dryness maintain significant fire potential.
🇸🇮 Slovenia	🟡 Elevated risk	—	Very High in parts	🔺 Risk increasing	Fire danger remains elevated as drought spreads across central Europe and the Alpine region.
🇦🇹 Austria	🟡 Elevated risk	Alpine/eastern areas	Very High	🔺 Increasing risk	Heat and drought continue to raise fire potential despite relatively limited major incidents.
🇩🇪 Germany	🟠 Active wildfire	Hürtgenwald/Eifel region	Very High	🔺 Increasing	Around 1,800 people were evacuated in Hürtgenwald as a rapidly spreading fire threatened the area. (The Guardian)
🇵🇱 Poland	🟡 Local risk	Eastern/central forests	High	➡️ Stable	Dry conditions persist but no major new incident verified.
🇸🇪 Sweden	🟡 Local risk	Southern/central Sweden	Moderate–High	↕ Mixed	Conditions remain comparatively less severe than in southern Europe.
🇫🇮 Finland	🟢 Limited activity	—	Low–Moderate	➡️ Stable	No major current wildfire identified.
🇳🇴 Norway	🟢 Limited activity	—	Low–Moderate	➡️ Stable	No major current wildfire identified.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom	🔴 Major active fires	Stourbridge/West Midlands; New Forest; southern England	Very Extreme	🔺 Sharp increase	More than 1,000 wildfires have been recorded in England and Wales this year. The Stourbridge fire destroyed homes and injured four people, while other fires are active. (The Guardian)
🇮🇪 Ireland	🟡 Elevated risk	—	High–Very High	🔺 Risk increasing	Drought and heat are increasing fire potential, although no major current wildfire has been verified.

Trend key:

• 🔺 Increasing wildfire activity
• 🔻 Decreasing wildfire activity
• ↕ Mixed picture
• ➡️ Little change

05 August 2026 update

Country	Current status	Largest active or recently active fires	Fire danger	Trend since 30 July	Latest developments
🇵🇹 Portugal	🟠 Local active fires	Northern Portugal	High	🔻 Improving	Most major fires are now under control following last week’s emergency.
🇪🇸 Spain	🟠 Localised active fires	Valencia region; isolated outbreaks	High	🔻 Improving	The national emergency has eased significantly, although scattered fires continue.
🇫🇷 France	🟠 Local active fires	Var; Gironde (contained)	High to Very High	🔻 Improving	The Gironde megafire has been contained after ten days. Some new activity persists in Provence.
🇮🇹 Italy	🔴 Multiple active fires	Southern Italy and Sicily	Extreme	🔺 Increasing	Extreme heat continues to drive wildfire risk, with several southern regions on maximum alert.
🇬🇷 Greece	🔴 Major active fires	Porto Germeno; Nafpaktos	Extreme	🔺 Increasing	Greece has become Europe’s principal wildfire hotspot, with evacuations continuing and difficult firefighting conditions.
🇹🇷 Türkiye	🔴 Multiple active fires	Western and southern Türkiye	Very High	↕ Mixed	Fire activity remains elevated, although no major deterioration has been reported since last week.
🇭🇷 Croatia	🟡 Local incidents	Adriatic coast	High	➡️ Stable	Elevated fire weather continues but no major new outbreaks reported.
🇲🇪 Montenegro	🟡 Local fires	Inland forests	High	➡️ Stable	Fire danger remains elevated across the western Balkans.
🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina	🟡 Scattered incidents	Central mountains	High	➡️ Stable	No major new wildfire emergency reported.
🇷🇸 Serbia	🟡 Local incidents	Southern Serbia	High	➡️ Stable	Extreme heat maintains elevated wildfire risk.
🇦🇱 Albania	🔴 Multiple active fires	Mallakastër region	Extreme	🔺 Increasing	Wildfires have intensified, forcing evacuations in southern Albania.
🇲🇰 North Macedonia	🟡 Local incidents	Central regions	High	➡️ Stable	No significant change from last week’s situation.
🇷🇴 Romania	🟡 Local vegetation fires	Carpathian region	Moderate	➡️ Stable	Hot conditions continue but no major wildfire escalation reported.
🇧🇬 Bulgaria	🟠 Local active fires	Southern Bulgaria	High	➡️ Stable	Elevated fire danger persists across southern regions.
🇸🇮 Slovenia	🟡 Elevated fire risk	—	Very High	🔺 Risk increasing	Record-breaking heat and drought have increased fire danger despite limited fire activity.
🇦🇹 Austria	🟡 Elevated fire risk	Alpine forests	Very High	🔺 Risk increasing	Austria has recorded its highest-ever temperature (41.2°C), sharply increasing wildfire risk.
🇩🇪 Germany	🟡 Local woodland fires	Eastern Germany	High	🔺 Risk increasing	Persistent drought and heat continue to elevate wildfire danger.
🇵🇱 Poland	🟡 Isolated fires	Eastern forests	Moderate	➡️ Stable	Little overall change.
🇸🇪 Sweden	🟡 Local forest fires	Central Sweden	Moderate	🔻 Improving	Cooler conditions have reduced wildfire danger compared with southern Europe.
🇫🇮 Finland	🟢 Minimal activity	—	Low	➡️ Stable	No significant change.
🇳🇴 Norway	🟢 Minimal activity	—	Low	➡️ Stable	Low wildfire activity continues.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom	🟠 Local heath and grass fires	Southern England	High	🔻 Improving	No major new wildfire emergencies have emerged since last week’s incidents.
🇮🇪 Ireland	🟢 Minimal activity	—	Moderate	➡️ Stable	Fire danger remains moderate with no major incidents reported.

03 August 2026 Update

Country	Current status	Largest active or recently active fires	Fire danger	Trend since 24 July	What has changed
🇵🇹 Portugal	🔴 Multiple active fires	Northern and central Portugal; Canelas/Espiunca and Douro Valley areas	Extreme	🔺 Increasing	Current reports describe around 14 active incidents, compared with the more localised activity reported on 24 July.
🇪🇸 Spain	🔴 Multiple significant fires	Vall d’Uixó in Castellón; Madrid–Castilla y León fire under monitoring	Extreme	🔻 Decreasing from peak	The major Madrid–Castilla y León fire has no active fronts and its emergency level has been lowered. However, at least ten other concerning fires remain, including Vall d’Uixó.
🇫🇷 France	🟠 Major southwest fires contained; danger shifting southeast	Gironde/Bordeaux complex; southeastern France and Mediterranean arc	Very Extreme	🔻 Decreasing locally	The Bordeaux-area fire has stopped spreading, holding at around 42,000 hectares, but fire danger is now concentrated farther southeast.
🇮🇹 Italy	🟠 Scattered and recently contained fires	Sicily, Calabria, Sardinia and Puglia	Extreme to Very Extreme	↕ Mixed	The major Gargano/Peschici fire in Puglia is under control, but several regions have been badly affected and EU officials warn that risk is moving towards Italy ahead of August.
🇬🇷 Greece	🔴 Multiple deadly active fires	Central Crete; Peloponnese, including the Gytheio area	Extreme	🔺 Sharp increase	Greece has moved from local incidents to a major emergency. Fires in Crete and the Peloponnese have killed three firefighters and forced evacuations by land and sea.
🇹🇷 Türkiye	🔴 Multiple active fires	Seydikemer and wider Muğla; Kaş and Antalya; Balıkesir	High, locally higher	🔺 Increasing	New fires across western and southern Türkiye have forced hundreds of evacuations. Seydikemer is the most serious currently reported incident.
🇭🇷 Croatia	🟡 Isolated incidents; no major current fire verified	No dominant incident identified	Extreme in parts	➡️ No clear change	No comparable escalation to France, Greece or Türkiye was identified in the reviewed current reporting.
🇲🇪 Montenegro	🟠 Local active fires reported	Locations not consistently identified in current reports	Extreme	➡️ No clear change	Active fires continue to be mentioned, but no single major incident has emerged as the dominant national fire.
🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	🟡 Scattered risk and possible local incidents	No major current incident verified	Extreme in parts	➡️ Broadly stable	Fire weather has worsened across the Balkans, although a major new Bosnian fire was not verified in the reviewed sources.
🇷🇸 Serbia	🟡 Small or local incidents	No major current incident verified	Extreme in parts	➡️ Broadly stable	Regional heat and fire weather remain elevated, without a verified national-scale escalation.
🇦🇱 Albania	🟡 Local incidents possible	No major current incident verified	Extreme	➡️ Broadly stable	No major new Albanian wildfire comparable with those in Greece or Türkiye was verified.
🇲🇰 North Macedonia	🟡 Local incidents possible	No major current incident verified	Extreme	➡️ Broadly stable	Fire danger remains elevated across the region, but no major current incident was confirmed.
🇷🇴 Romania	🟡 Local vegetation-fire risk	No major current incident verified	Very High in parts	➡️ Broadly stable	Hot and dry conditions persist, but current reporting does not indicate a substantial increase in major forest fires.
🇧🇬 Bulgaria	🟡 Local incidents possible	No major current incident verified	Extreme in parts	➡️ Broadly stable	Regional danger has increased, although no dominant Bulgarian wildfire was verified in the latest reporting.
🇸🇮 Slovenia	🟢 No major current incident verified	—	Very Extreme near the Alpine arc	➡️ Stable activity; risk increasing	No large active fire was identified, but the weekly EFFIS forecast places the Alpine region under exceptionally dangerous conditions.
🇦🇹 Austria	🟢 No major current incident verified	—	Very Extreme in Alpine areas	➡️ Stable activity; risk increasing	Current incident activity appears limited, while weather-driven ignition and spread risk has risen.
🇩🇪 Germany	🟡 Local woodland and vegetation-fire risk	No major current incident verified	Very Extreme in parts of central Europe	➡️ No clear change	No major new German fire was verified, although central European fire weather is deteriorating.
🇵🇱 Poland	🟡 Isolated risk	No major current incident verified	Very High in parts	➡️ Broadly stable	Elevated fire weather remains possible, without a verified increase in major incidents.
🇸🇪 Sweden	🟡 Local forest-fire risk	No major current incident verified	Very High in southern areas	➡️ Broadly stable	The danger remains elevated in southern Scandinavia, but no major new Swedish incident was confirmed.
🇫🇮 Finland	🟢 Limited current activity	—	Generally Low, with local variation	🔻 Decreasing risk	The latest weekly outlook places most of Scandinavia at comparatively low danger, despite possible local southern pockets.
🇳🇴 Norway	🟢 Limited current activity	—	Generally Low, locally higher in the south	➡️ Broadly stable	No major current Norwegian fire was verified in the reviewed reporting.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom	🔴 Major active incident and prolonged Scottish fire	Dunwich Heath, Suffolk; Cairngorms, Scotland	Very Extreme	🔺 Sharp increase	A new 100-hectare, wind-driven fire at Dunwich Heath has been declared a major incident, while crews continue making progress on the Cairngorms fire.
🇮🇪 Ireland	🟡 Limited confirmed incident activity	No major current incident verified	Very Extreme in parts	➡️ Stable activity; risk increasing

Hotspots to watch

Last updated: 07 August 2026

Region	Outlook
Greece	🔴 Very high risk of further fire activity
Albania	🔴 New outbreaks possible
Southern Italy	🟠 High risk
Western Balkans	🟠 Elevated risk
Central Europe	🟡 Conditions becoming more favourable for ignition

Largest active wildfires

Last updated: 07 August 2026

Fire	Country	Status
Porto Germeno	Greece	🔴 Active
Nafpaktos	Greece	🔴 Active
Seydikemer	Türkiye	🔴 Active
Mallakastër	Albania	🔴 Active
Gironde	France	🟢 Contained

03 August 2026 Update

Fire	Country	Estimated size	Started	Status
Gironde	France	42,000 ha	21 Jul	Contained
Crete	Greece	—	28 Jul	Active
Vall d’Uixó	Spain	—	29 Jul	Active
Seydikemer	Turkey	—	29 Jul	Active

Weekly changes

Last updated: 07 August 2026

Country	Previous	Current	Trend
France	🟠	🟡	▼ Improving
Spain	🔴	🟠	▼ Improving
Portugal	🔴	🟠	▼ Improving
Greece	🔴	🔴	▲ Intensifying
Albania	🟡	🔴	▲ Major deterioration
Italy	🟠	🔴	▲ Increasing
Austria	🟢	🟡	▲ Fire danger increasing
Slovenia	🟢	🟡	▲ Fire danger increasing

Last updated: 03 August 2026

Country	Previous	Current	Trend
France	🔴	🟠	▼ Improving
Greece	🟠	🔴	▲ Worsening
Spain	🔴	🔴	▼ Slight improvement
Turkey	🟠	🔴	▲ Worsening

Climate indicators

Last updated: 07 August 2026

Indicator	Updated value
Heatwave severity	Extreme
Temperature anomaly	+4.0°C to +4.5°C (regional)
Soil moisture	Exceptionally low
Vegetation dryness	Extreme
Wind conditions	Moderate to High

03 August 2026 Update

Indicator	Value
Heatwave severity	Very High
Temperature anomaly	+3.8°C
Soil moisture	Very Low
Vegetation dryness	Extreme
Wind conditions	High

Seasonal timeline

Last updated: 07 August 2026

Month	Area burned	Trend
April	18,000 ha	Low
May	51,000 ha	▲
June	134,000 ha	▲▲
July	435,000 ha	▲▲▲
August	≈10,000–15,000 ha*	▲

03 August 2026 Update

Month	Area burned	Trend
April 2026	18,000 ha	Low
May 2026	51,000 ha	▲
June 2026	134,000 ha	▲▲
July 2026	435,000 ha	▲▲▲
August 2026

Five-year comparison

Last updated: 03 August 2026

Year	Area burned	Difference vs average
2022	837,000 ha	+92%
2023	502,000 ha	+18%
2024	318,000 ha	−12%
2025	690,000 ha	+61%
2026	435,000 ha*	Ongoing

Smoke and air quality

Last updated: 07 August 2026

Country	Smoke impact
Greece	Severe
Albania	Severe
Türkiye	High
Italy	Moderate
France	Improving
Spain	Improving

03 August 2026 Update

Country	Smoke impact
France	Severe
Spain	Moderate
Italy	Moderate
Greece	Severe