Expert warns of extending fire seasons as Europe battles extreme blazes

Stefan Doerr, director of the Centre for Wildfire Research at Swansea University, has stated that fire seasons are becoming increasingly severe and longer across the world, including in Europe. Speaking to FRANCE 24, Doerr highlighted the intensification of these events, noting a trend toward longer fire seasons nearly everywhere.

This commentary comes amid significant emergency responses in France and Spain, where extreme heat has fuelled widespread wildfires. In southwestern France, over 110,000 people have been displaced after wildfires destroyed 14,000 hectares of forest. French authorities have also ordered the evacuation of approximately 200,000 people from areas surrounding Bordeaux as the blazes spread.

The scale of the crisis in France has prompted high-level government action. President Emmanuel Macron has mobilised the military, while Prime Minister Sebastian Lecornu has chaired a government crisis meeting to manage the response. The situation is being managed against a backdrop of extreme heat conditions that have exacerbated the fire risks across the region.

In Spain, the government has declared a national emergency as two major wildfires west of Madrid merged into a single blaze. This development has forced the evacuation of more than 19,000 residents. The merging of these fires underscores the severity of the current fire season, which Doerr describes as becoming more extreme.

Doerr’s assessment to FRANCE 24 provides a broader context for these domestic emergencies, suggesting that the events in France and Spain are part of a global pattern of increasing fire severity and duration. The expert’s observation aligns with the urgent operational responses currently underway in affected European nations.