Europe records worst wildfire season in 2025–EFFIS

(MENAFN) Europe endured its most severe wildfire season on record in 2025, preliminary estimates indicate, signaling a troubling trend of longer and more destructive fire periods across the continent, according to reports.

Data from the European Forest Fire Information Service (EFFIS) show that both the frequency and intensity of wildfires are rising. Early figures for 2025 suggest that the total area burned will surpass all previous records since EFFIS began tracking fires in 2006.

The initial 2025 estimates follow the 2024 Forest Fires Report from the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), which recorded 383,317 hectares of land affected by wildfires.

Although this was lower than the 500,000 hectares scorched in 2023—thanks in part to intermittent rainfall—it remained above the 17-year average of 354,185 hectares. In total, 8,343 fires were reported in 2024, more than four times the long-term average.

The hardest-hit EU member states included Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, collectively accounting for 334,940 hectares of burned land. Among non-EU participants in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Türkiye, and Ukraine faced major losses, with Ukraine alone responsible for half of the total area burned in UCPM countries, much of it along active combat zones.

EFFIS data suggest that Europe’s wildfire patterns are changing rapidly, with more frequent and intense fires extending over longer periods. This trend is putting unprecedented strain on firefighting resources across the continent.

EU officials stress that while bolstering firefighting capacity is critical, it will not be enough.

Experts recommend proactive risk-reduction strategies such as integrated wildfire management, nature-based solutions, and improved landscape management to address the escalating threat of wildfires in Europe.

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