This summer has been the most extreme on record for wildfires in the European Union, with more than 1,000 wildfires burning over 540,000 hectares (1.3 million acres) of land since mid-June. That area is more than twice the size of Luxembourg. The fires were driven by a series of intense heat waves, linked to climate change, which caused over 30,000 additional deaths, severe droughts, and widespread displacement, particularly in Spain and France. Normally cooler regions like Belgium and Scotland also experienced dangerous blazes. According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), the total area burned between June 18 and September 2 is significantly higher than the average for the past 20 years. However, it remains below the record set in 2025, when over 800,000 hectares were burned during the same period. Four of the EU's 15 largest wildfires in the past decade occurred this summer. One particularly intense week, from July 16 to 22, saw nearly 190,000 hectares (470,000 acres) burned, the highest for that period since at least 2006. Three major fires occurred during this period: two in Spain and one in France. A fire in the Spanish province of Ávila, near Madrid, burned over 42,000 hectares (104,000 acres) and was described by the Spanish government as the worst in modern history, forcing thousands to evacuate. In southern Spain, a fire in Andalusia led to more than a dozen deaths. In France, a fire in the Gironde region near Bordeaux burned 37,000 hectares (91,000 acres). Another fire in Huelva, Spain, in August burned nearly 44,000 hectares (109,000 acres), making it the sixth-largest wildfire in Europe. Southern EU countries like Greece, Portugal, and Italy also experienced active fire seasons, which are common during the summer months. Meanwhile, Belgium faced its worst wildfire in over a century in August, burning thousands of hectares and setting a new national record for the year. The EFFIS data includes only fires of at least 30 hectares and may differ from national reports due to varying methodologies. As new satellite data becomes available, the totals could still change.