Evacuations in Spain as wildfire triggers regional emergency

People in 25 municipalities in Spain are facing evacuations triggered by a wildfire burning around 100 km (62 miles) northeast of the nation’s capital.

The La Mierla Fire ignited inside Sierra Norte Natural Park on Thursday and has since burned over 16,000 hectares (nearly 40,000 acres), according to the Servicio de Prevención y Extinción de Incendios Forestales, or INFOCAM.

Authorities have upgraded the fire’s danger level to “high danger” level 2, meaning regional and national emergency resources are responding. A level 3 fire is considered a “national emergency” when the government would assume full control of fire operations.

Regional President of Castile-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, praised the “enormous” work of crews in the Guadalajara province on Thursday. He also marked the 21st anniversary of the deaths of 11 people during the La Riba de Saelices Fire, which García-Page said marked a turning point for the country’s focus on wildfire preparedness and prevention.

“Castilla-La Mancha is the region that has made the most progress, investing the most in these 20 years in technical fire resources, personnel, professional resources, and also aerial resources,” García-Page said. “We have the highest levels of per capita spending, probably in Europe, in relation to prevention and also to the care of the countryside throughout the year.”

All of Spain is experiencing extreme or very high fire danger in July as over 70,000 hectares (173,000 acres) have burned in 2026, exacerbated by the widespread extreme heatwave and drought Europe faced starting in late May. Wildfires in the southern city of Almeria baked in 40C (104F) degree heat and caused the deaths of 13 people, becoming the deadliest wildfire in the Andalusia region’s history and the third deadliest in Spanish history.

Spain had its second-most destructive wildfire season in history in 2025, when over 350 fires burned more than 393,000 hectares (971,000 acres). The only other year that came close to that level of burned area was 1994, when an estimated 437,602 hectares (1.1 million acres) burned across the country.

Burned area and total fire numbers in Spain have been trending upward over the past decade. Recent research has determined that increasingly extreme temperatures driven by climate change will likely lengthen peak wildfire season in Spain by 4 to 6 weeks and make extreme fire weather conditions more common.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Wildfire death toll rises in Spain, as Europe swelters

Canada wildfire smoke will cover more US states soon, forecasts show

Communities within the United States’ Great Lakes region will experience their highest air pollution levels throughout Sunday due to wildfire smoke from Canada, but National Weather Service forecasts show significant relief isn’t coming anytime soon.

Smoke has lowered air quality across the Midwest and Northeast to unhealthy and even hazardous levels over the past week as numerous out-of-control fires burn in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The total area burned surpassed historical highs on Thursday as peak fire season continues into late August.

Forecast models show near-surface smoke remaining throughout the Midwest and Northeast through at least Wednesday. Weather patterns are also expected to push smoke from Canada’s fires down southward into new Midwest and Western states in the coming days, including Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Wyoming.

The National Weather Service issues air quality alerts when levels of fine particulate matter, which are small particles that can penetrate deep inside lungs and are produced in large quantities by wildfire smoke, are elevated enough to pose health risks. Alerts are currently in effect for Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin, but more alerts are expected to be issued in other states as the smoke pushes south.

“The heaviest smoke is currently in Wisconsin, where significant portions are at VERY UNHEALTHY levels, while most other areas are seeing UNHEALTHY to USG conditions,” the U.S. Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program said in an alert on Sunday. “These conditions are expected to mostly persist today with the exception of northern Ohio and southeast Michigan, where Detroit and Cleveland should see conditions improve to MODERATE levels today.”

Credit: AirNow

Canada wildfire totals explode to historic highs, US officials warn to extinguish fires ‘as fast as possible’

What began as a far-below-average wildfire season for Canada has since exploded past historical norms, causing national crews to mobilize and United States officials to issue warnings.

Area burned in Canada was less than half of the 10-year average on July 7, but just 10 days and over 300 wildfires later, area burned now sits at 2.78 million hectares (6.87 million acres), according to the National Wildland Fire Summary. The growing total is already 300,000 hectares (741,000 acres) above the 10-year average. The number of fires burning throughout Canada, at 3,656 as of July 17, is already above the 25-year average of 3,652 fires.

The fires have caused widespread hazardous air quality in the U.S. Midwest and Northeast. U.S. President Donald Trump and the Environmental Protection Agency both issued warnings on Friday, urging Canadian officials to “extinguish these fires as fast as possible.”

Credit: BC Wildfire Service

“We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly sainting their forests, and Brush therein, and the United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable,” Trump said in a social media post. “I will call the Prime Minister during the day to find out what they are going to do about it.”

Fire danger is extreme in Ontario, with widespread wildfires causing evacuations in numerous communities across the province, according to Canada’s most recent fire summary. Fires are forecast to continue growing over the coming days due to high temperatures, dry weather and lightning.

The Northwest Territories and parts of Nunavut are also nearing extreme fire danger, while northern Manitoba, north-central Saskatchewan, and interior British Columbia’s fire danger are also expected to increase.

Wildfire smoke impacts are also expected to continue in both eastern Canada and the U.S. over the coming days, specifically due to heavy smoke emitted by fires in western Ontario. Canadian officials said diplomatic engagement is being coordinated to discuss smoke impacts on U.S. states.

Canada wildfire smoke blankets US skies across the Midwest and Northeast, triggering health alerts

Air quality levels are forecast to drop to unhealthy levels across the U.S. Midwest and Northeast on Tuesday as smoke from Canadian wildfires intensifies.

AirNow’s Fire and Smoke Map showed the regions blanketed in yellow due to the drifting smoke. Winds from the northwest are pushing smoke into the region, with National Weather Service forecasters predicting the region’s worst air quality between the afternoon and overnight hours on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

“This smoke may reach the ground in some areas, leading to potentially unhealthy air quality for several days,” Weather Channel meteorologists reported Tuesday. “Prolonged exposure to dense smoke can increase the risk of chronic lung issues and increase inflammation that could lead to heart attacks and strokes.”

Thick smoke from Canadian wildfires descends across the U.S. East Coast, 14 July 2026. CIRA Satellite Library

Despite the wide-ranging smoke impacts, the Canadian wildfire season is on the calmer side compared with recent years. The Government of Canada’s national wildland fire summary listed 3,385 fires that have burned 1.81 million hectares as of Tuesday afternoon, far below the 5-year burned-hectare average of 3.83 million hectares and the 10-year average of 2.26 million hectares.

Officials recently upgraded Canada’s National Preparedness Level to Level 4, indicating significant wildland fire behavior in multiple jurisdictions and high demand for wildland fire resources. Agency Preparedness Levels differ region by region, the highest of which is Quebec at Level 4, followed by the Northwest Territories, Manitoba, Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador at Level 3.

In early July 2026, several wildland fires burned in the Sahtu Region of Canada’s Northwest Territories near Great Bear Lake. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of some of the larger fires on July 8. Even as copious sea ice remains in the Amundsen Gulf, smoke clouds the sky so thickly that it obscures the land beneath from view. Image: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC

Utah’s largest wildfire in nearly a decade crosses 100,000 acres burned

The Babylon Fire burning in southeast Utah crossed a critical threshold on Tuesday, with firefighters still working to contain it.

The fire has burned over 102,000 acres in the Manti-Lasal National Forest and sits at 21% containment as of Thursday morning, according to crews on the fireline. It’s the first Utah wildfire to cross the 100,000 acres burned figure in 8 years, when the Pole Creek Fire burned around 102,000 acres after merging with the Bald Mountain Fire in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest in 2018.

Upcoming weather conditions pose risks of fire expansion, particularly in the fire’s northeast corner, crews said in their Thursday update. Dry air, excessive heat and winds reaching up to 24 mph are leading crews to anticipate high-momentum runs in the heavily fuel-driven incident.

Numerous residents in San Juan County were put under a SET evacuation order on Thursday ahead of the fire’s possible expansion.

“Now is the time to gather important documents, medications, and essential items, fuel your vehicle, and make a plan for your family, pets, and livestock,” county officials said during a Thursday conference. “We also encourage you to contact family or friends now to see if you can stay with them should your area move to GO Status. If you do not have family or friends to stay with, don’t worry—a temporary shelter location will be identified and announced if a GO evacuation becomes necessary.”

Crews increased overall containment of the fire from 11% Wednesday night to 21% Thursday morning as firefighters continue preparing fire lines overnight.

Crews are also fighting a near-100,000-acre fire in the Fishlake National Forest. The Cottonwood Fire has burned over 96,000 acres and is on track to become the costliest fire in state history after it burned down 150 structures, including portions of Eagle Point Resort, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox told local news outlet KSL.

Click here for the latest information on the Babylon Fire and the Cottonwood Fire.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this false-color image of fresh burn scars in Utah on July 4. In this type of image, open land is tan, vegetation looks green, water appears dark blue, clouds look white and snow or smoke may take on an electric blue tint. Multiple fresh burn scars—the area left damaged after a fire—are colored brick red. From the top, moving counter clockwise, the scars were left by the Iron Fire, the Cherry Fire, the Cottonwood Fire, and the Babylon Fire. Several smaller burn scars can be seen scattered in the vegetation, especially northeast of the Cottonwood Fire.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this false-color image of fresh burn scars in Utah on July 4. In this type of image, open land is tan, vegetation looks green, water appears dark blue, clouds look white and snow or smoke may take on an electric blue tint. Multiple fresh burn scars—the area left damaged after a fire—are colored brick red.

From the top, moving counter clockwise, the scars were left by the Iron Fire, the Cherry Fire, the Cottonwood Fire, and the Babylon Fire. Several smaller burn scars can be seen scattered in the vegetation, especially northeast of the Cottonwood Fire.

Wildfire risk elevated throughout the Western US during July Fourth weekend

Widespread extreme heat and critically dry vegetation nationwide prompted experts to issue multiple fuels and fire behavior advisories throughout the July 4 weekend. Forecasters don’t expect relief anytime soon.

The National Interagency Fire Center has two active advisories, which are only issued during extreme circumstances that pose elevated threats to firefighters or public safety, for vast areas of the country, including:

One of the fires burning in the advisory area, the Snyder Mesa Fire, has burned over 30,000 acres and caused the deaths of three wildland firefighters earlier this week. It currently sits at 65% containment as of Friday, but wildfire officials said there’s an elevated risk of the fire breaching containment due to observed extreme fire spread, critically dry fuels, and drought-stressed brush and trees.

“Fuel conditions across the Geographic Area are significantly drier and more volatile than normal for late-June,” the NIFC’s advisory said. “Prolonged heat, low humidity, and steady winds have rapidly dried out live and dead fuels, especially native grasses, trees/brush, and 1000-hour fuels. In most of Colorado and a good part of Southern Wyoming, moisture levels are nearing or exceeding historic lows, triggering fire behavior seen only during the driest and
most severe fire seasons.”

Apart from the risk of fireworks igniting wildfires, forecasters also warned about elevated fire risk due to strong gusts in the Greater Four Corners region and isolated dry thunderstorms developing in both Wyoming and portions of New Mexico and Texas. A warming trend in the western U.S. also sets up high fire probability, along with record-high temperatures throughout the East Coast.

Identities of firefighters killed by burnover near Colorado-Utah border released

The names of the three wildland firefighters killed during a burnover event near the Colorado-Utah border on Saturday were released by the Department of the Interior on Monday.

The firefighters were identified as:

  • Emily Barker, 38, of Clinton Township, Michigan, assigned to the U.S. Forest Service Rifle Helitack. 
  • Nick Hutcherson, 27, of Glendale, Arizona, assigned to the U.S. Forest Service Kaibab National Forest. 
  • Sydney Watson, 27, of Warrior, Alabama, assigned to the U.S. Wildland Fire Service Rifle Helitack.
From left to right: Emily Barker, Nick Hutcherson and Sydney Watson. Credit: Department of the Interior.

Officials did not release the identities of the two firefighters hospitalized with burns. The agencies have mobilized a serious accident investigation team to review the circumstances leading up to the incident, officials said.

The Knowles and Gore fires, which the Rifle Helitack crew was originally assigned to, were overtaken by the Snyder Mesa Fire after it merged with the Jones Fire, the U.S. Wildland Fire Service said in a press release on Monday. An interagency complex incident management team has since assumed command.

“We mourn the loss of three firefighters who answered the call to protect others and made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their fellow citizens,” U.S. Wildland Fire Service Chief Brian Fennessy said in the release. “Our thoughts are with their families, loved ones, friends and crewmates as they face an unimaginable loss. These firefighters embodied the courage, professionalism and selflessness that define the wildland fire service.”

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Burnover kills 3 firefighters and injures 2 near Colorado-Utah border, Wildland Fire Service’s first fatalities

Our sincere condolences go out to the families, friends, and co-workers of the victims and the injured.

RELATED COVERAGE: Wildfire aircraft crash in Canada: 3 dead

Burnover kills 3 firefighters and injures 2 near Colorado-Utah border, Wildland Fire Service’s first fatalities

The U.S. Wildland Fire Service announced the deaths of three firefighters early Sunday morning after a burnover event near the Colorado-Utah border.

Service officials said crews were responding to wildfires in western Colorado on Saturday when firefighters became trapped and flames overtook them. Two firefighters survived and are being treated for burns, while three others succumbed to their injuries. The identities of those killed and injured are being withheld until family members are notified.

The deaths are the Service’s first fatalities since the Department of the Interior consolidated all of its wildland firefighting forces into a single agency. The Service did not release details of the operational events leading up to the burnover, with officials saying additional information would be released later.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: US Wildland Fire Service partially funded from significant EPA cuts

“The U.S. Wildland Fire Service and the U.S. Forest Service are focused on supporting the firefighters’ family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time,” officials said in the press release.

The firefighters were assigned to the Knowles and Gore fires, which have since combined with the nearby Jones and Snyder fires into what local officials are calling the Snyder Mesa Fire. The combined fires have burned nearly 29,000 acres as of Sunday morning and have triggered an emergency declaration from Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, which activated the state’s Emergency Operations Plan and authorizes the support of the Colorado National Guard.

“This support includes State and interagency engines and handcrews, DFPC and interagency aviation resources, and incident management personnel and overhead to assist in management of the fire and containment efforts,” Polis said. “In addition, DFPC is supporting Mesa County and the incident with administrative and financial oversight and intelligence products that include imaging, mapping, and fire behavior modeling and projects.”

The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office and the American Red Cross established an evacuation resource center in the former Faith Heights Church located at 600 28 ¼ Road in Grand Junction, Colorado.

USFS allows N95 mask use for wildland firefighters

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service announced on Wednesday that it has authorized wildland firefighters to use N95 respirators on the fire line.

A breathing apparatus or mask like an N95 hasn’t historically been a staple of wildland firefighters’ gear, though some have been in testing for years. The added carry capacity is one reason, along with the assumed lack of toxic chemical inhalation, since the fire burns in a natural area free from synthetic materials.

But research has since found that assumption isn’t true. Wildfire can create cancer-causing toxic heavy metals depending on where they burn and the severity of the flames.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Wildfire smoke toxicity worsened by heavy metals in soil, flame intensity

Reducing such hazardous exposure to wildland firefighters was the major reason for the Service’s announcement, according to a press release sent out by officials.

“Secretary Rollins has made it clear that we will no longer stand by as firefighters face long-term health risks just from doing their job,” said Forest Service Deputy Chief of Fire and Aviation Management Sarah Fisher in the release. “The action we are taking today is about doing right by the people who put themselves between our communities and escalating wildfire threats. Improving respiratory safety and expanding decontamination practices are practical, common-sense measures that will make a real difference on the ground.”

The authorization allows N95 use and requires training and standardized decontamination protocols, like mandatory showers, gear cleaning and clean-air recovery, which are compliant with Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements.

“Firefighters who are healthy, informed, and supported are better positioned to do their jobs effectively and safely,” officials said in the press release. “The Forest Service is committed to that outcome and will continue to advance improved health protection measures with the Department of the Interior.”

Click here to read the full release.

Wildfire risk to heighten globally in 2026 due to ‘historic’ El Niño

Satellite imagery showing the difference from average sea surface temperatures at the equator in the tropical Pacific Ocean (depicted using various shades of red and orange for warmth) during the first week of June 2026, as compared with the baseline used by NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch. (Image credit: NOAA Satellites )

A potentially historic El Niño is all but confirmed for 2026, heightening wildfire and other risks across the globe, according to recent reports from the world’s forecasting agencies.

The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre has determined that an El Niño event this year was “virtually certain” based on all seasonal forecast modelling systems. The fluctuating water-temperature climate pattern of the tropical Pacific Ocean is also forecast to reach “unprecedented” intensity, compounding the high likelihood of wildfires in numerous regions worldwide.

Although usually associated with countries close to the Pacific, the impacts of this El Nino are predicted to extend far beyond, including into Europe, with heatwaves and drought more likely.

The last El Niño in 2023-24 was one of the five strongest on record and it played a role in record global temperatures registered in 2024. But no two El Nino events are the same. The full picture is complex and contains many variables as this graphic shows:

Major impacts and main climate effects of El Niño events. Sources: JRC analysis and Lenssen et al. (2020).

Extreme heat is set to build across the tropics and subtropics from September, and is expected to peak between December 2026 and February 2027, persisting into the spring, the agency said in a press release.

“Unusually warm weather is expected to spread across much of the world, with the warmth growing stronger as El Niño intensifies,” according to the release. “The regions most likely to feel this are in North and South America, Central America, Africa, the Euro-Asian continent and Australia.”

At the beginning of June, the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization predicted the probability of El Niño through November to be close to or above 90%.

Two weeks later, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service declared it too, noting that in the US an El Nino tends to be stronger in winter months, with warmer than usual winters.

This map shows the typical impacts of El Nino to the continental U.S. and Canada during Northern Hemisphere winter. (Image credit: NOAA)
This map shows the typical impacts of El Nino to the continental U.S. and Canada during Northern Hemisphere winter. (Image credit: NOAA)

Last week, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology officially declared it. While predicting lower rainfall and higher temperatures over the current southern hemisphere winter the Bureau and other experts are cautious on the fire potential for the next summer.

“Large-scale climate drivers like El Niño can influence broad conditions such as temperature and rainfall, but they do not determine whether fires start or how they behave on the ground. Bushfires remain a complex, localised hazard that depend on whether the right conditions and an ignition coincide,” said CSIRO Principal Research Scientist Dr Andrew Sullivan.

“The relationship between El Niño and bushfire activity is not straightforward. The occurrence of an El Niño event does not translate directly into bushfire occurrence or impacts, and some of Australia’s more severe fire seasons have occurred in non-El Niño years.”