16,000 Dead in June Heat Wave as Wildfires Rage Across Southern Europe; Two Firefighters Killed in Greece
A deadly combination of record-breaking heat, severe drought, and massive wildfires is sweeping across Europe, with at least 16,000 people dying in a June heat wave and two firefighters killed while battling blazes on the Greek island of Crete [207538][207539]. While conditions in Spain and France have shown some signs of stabilization, new fires are spreading across the eastern Mediterranean, and the continent’s wine regions face unprecedented destruction [207437][207539].
More than 16,000 people died in a European heat wave in June, with Belgium recording the highest excess mortality—especially in its poorest region, Wallonia [207538]. The extreme temperatures have dried out landscapes across the continent, creating tinderbox conditions that have fueled some of the worst wildfires in history.
In Spain, more than 170,000 hectares have burned this year, compared to 29,000 last year, and over 100,000 people have been forced to flee their homes [205482]. Spain has declared its first-ever national wildfire emergency [207437]. Firefighters on the front lines say they are exhausted, underpaid, and working with incomplete crews—many earning just 1,200 to 1,400 euros a month for 12-hour shifts, sometimes working 22 hours straight [207328]. Unions warn that regional governments are breaking a 2024 law meant to improve their conditions, and that prevention work like clearing forests near homes has been cut in half [207328].
In France, more land has already burned this year than in all of 2025, when 30,000 hectares were destroyed [205482]. In the Gironde region alone, 220,000 people have been evacuated [205482]. Firefighters have faced a terrifying new threat: a “pyrocumulonimbus”—a fire-generated thunderstorm—appeared in southwestern France for what experts believe is the first time, whipping up unpredictable winds that make blazes harder to contain [205482]. A leading French scientist warns that a quarter of the country’s small rivers are already dry, and this summer’s drought could surpass record levels seen in 2022 [203755].
On the Greek island of Crete, two firefighters died while battling a forest fire, as blazes continue to spread across the eastern Mediterranean [207539]. In Sweden, several forest fires have broken out in the Västmanland region, with one area spanning 7,000 square meters being water-bombed from the air [207490].
In the United Kingdom, half of the country’s land is now suffering from what officials call “exceptionally severe” drought, threatening crops, water supplies, and wildlife [207510]. Wales has declared a drought in the north and the Upper Severn region, with this month on track to be the driest July in nearly 200 years [203194]. A major wildfire burned four miles from the Sizewell B nuclear power plant in Suffolk, prompting operator EDF to raise the facility’s alert status to “high” [207272].
The crisis has also hit Norway, where water levels in the Glomma River—the country’s longest—are falling fast and approaching record lows, leaving boats stranded on dry land [207447].