Wildfires: the emergency shifts to Greece – 7,000 people evacuated in Crete

Over the last 45 years, the number of summer days with conditions conducive to forest fires has more than doubled across large parts of the Iberian Peninsula, France, Italia and Greece. Although progress made in managing these emergencies has helped to reduce the number of fires, those that do occur are becoming increasingly intense and prolonged, to the point where they are increasingly exceeding the available fire-fighting capacity. This is demonstrated by a study published in the journal *Scientific Reports* by an international research team led by the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

The team analysed national statistics on forest fires in Portugal, Spain, France, Italia and Greece, alongside meteorological and climatic data collected between 1981 and 2025. It was found that in some areas of France and Spain, the intensity of weather conditions conducive to wildfires (heat, drought and wind) increased by up to 50 per cent between 2016 and 2025, compared with the 1981–2010 period. The number of days with conditions highly conducive to wildfires has also increased, rising from fewer than 10 days per summer in the 1981–2010 period to around 25 days over the last decade in some areas of each country studied. However, the annual number of fires over the last decade has been around 40 per cent lower than the average for the 1981–2010 period in each country. The researchers suggest that this may be due to improvements in forest fire management, such as better training for firefighters and public awareness campaigns. The frequency of fire-prone weather conditions reflects an increase in hot, dry days and is linked to large-scale climate patterns, including El Niño. Smaller differences in atmospheric pressure over the North Atlantic have coincided with an increase in fire-favourable weather conditions in parts of Greece, Italia, Corsica and Spain. Sea surface temperature anomalies in the tropical Pacific, associated with El Niño, preceded fire-favourable weather conditions in parts of the north-western Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and southern Greece.

The fire service in Suffolk in the UK has released images showing burnt vegetation and trees following the massive fire that struck Dunwich Heath, a coastal area in the south-east of the UK. Around 90 firefighters were deployed to tackle the blaze, which was declared a ‘major incident’ ‘due to the scale and complexity’ of the fire, which covered an area roughly the size of 140 football pitches.

Several homes and around 200 caravans have been evacuated; the Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service has stated that no injuries have been reported so far. At present, the flames are not affecting Sizewell B, the nuclear power station situated approximately four miles (6.4 km) from the moorland, but the authorities are monitoring the situation.

“Our teams have been battling the fire all night, ensuring that people and property are protected. We are also striving to minimise the impact on the environment as much as possible. The crews will continue to tackle the blaze in the region for probably another 24–48 hours, given the scale and complexity of the incident we are facing, and we are still in a serious situation,” said Christopher May, operations commander at Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service, on social media.