The consequences of Europe’s dry summer continue to emerge as “exceptional” wildfire activity draws on the union’s combined resources.
In another week of high temperatures and little prospect of rain, extreme conditions continue over southern United Kingdom and have expanded over northwestern France, extending through the Alps and into the Balkans.
An estimated 542,926 hectares (1,341,599 acres) have burned throughout the region since the beginning of 2026, according to the European Union’s “Current Wildfire Situation in Europe” report on Aug. 10. This year’s burned area total is just below the record-breaking fire year of 2025, when wildfires burned 631,119 hectares (1,559,529 acres) by the same date even though the 2026’s burned area total briefly eclipsed 2025’s numbers between July 22 and Aug. 9.
Last year – 2025 – was the worst year on record in Europe, and while 2026 is tracking slightly less it still well exceeds the long-term average of the last 20 years (see the blue line on graph below).
Credit: EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid
A recent research report released by the EU’s Climate Change Service determined that chronically dry conditions across western and central Europe were conducive to the exceptional wildfire activity, fueled by abundant dried biomass after a wet winter and early spring.
“In France, fires in the Gironde region burned nearly 42,000 ha, the largest area on record for France in the European Forest Fire Information System of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service,” researchers said in the report. “Spain also saw multiple fires, especially in central and eastern regions.”
Daily wildfire emissions were at record levels in France for July 24, according to the report. The nation’s annual total was already the highest ever by the end of July, while Spain ranked its second-highest emissions total ever, behind 2022.
The EU has assembled and deployed an estimated 777 firefighters from 14 countries to support communities where the wildfires are burning. They’re primarily stationed in France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Cyprus and stand ready to support brigades if fires overwhelm local resources.”
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.
The nation, on average, only sees around 15,000 burnt acres (6,000 hectares) by Aug. 19, according to the European Union’s Earth observation arm. So far in 2025, the nation has experienced 437,000 burnt acres (177,000 hectares).
Spain’s totals have skewed wildfire data throughout the EU. Officials on Tuesday said wildfires have burned 2,389,573 acres (967,026 hectares) since the beginning of the year. That is much more than the average of 602,964 acres (244,011 hectares) recorded at this time of year over the past 19 years.
Spain and surrounding nations may soon see some relief from fire weather, while others in northern Europe see an increase in risk, according to the EU’s Joint Research Centre.
“Conditions are expected to ease across most of southern Europe and FWI anomalies may drop in the Iberian Peninsula, France, Italy, the Balkans, and Greece,” the Centre said. “In contrast, very high to very extreme anomalies are expected in Ireland, United Kingdom, and Northwest Europe (Belgium, The Netherlands, northern Germany, Poland, Denmark and parts of Sweden and Finland). Large with high to very extreme FWI anomalies are also expected along the Danube basin in Austria, Hungary, and Romania.”
Spain recently made EU history when it made its first request ever for wildfire response reinforcements from the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism. In response to Spain’s activation, the European Commission has mobilized two rescEU planes stationed in France, with the expectation of deploying to Spain on Aug. 14.
Europe’s wildfires this year are already nearing historic levels, according to the continent’s civil protection agency.
The European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism has already been activated 16 times for wildfires in 2025, the same number of times the mechanism was activated for wildfires during all of 2024. The activation allows other nations within the continent to offer personnel and equipment to the affected nation.
The most noteworthy activation happened on Wednesday, when Spain requested wildfire response reinforcements for the first time in the nation’s history, the EU agency said. In response to Spain’s activation, the European Commission has mobilized two rescEU planes stationed in France, with the expectation of deploying to Spain on Thursday.
Spain is under a high temperature alert through to Monday, with the nation’s General Directorate of Civil Protection expecting possible “extraordinary” winds from the Cantabrian Sea, heightening the risk of wildfire spread.
Credit: General Directorate of Civil Protection
“More than 5,000 State Security Forces personnel are collaborating in extinguishing the fires, ensuring evacuations and confinement, controlling traffic on blocked roads, and investigating the cause of the fires,” the directorate said in a recent press release. “The committee’s objective in this situation is to continue providing a coordinated response, optimally allocate state resources, and respond quickly to the emergency.”
Fires in Europe are raging close to record levels with little prospect of relief in coming days. With temperatures of more than 40C/104F fueling a heatwave in many areas, the fires are driving evacuations across southern European regions including Italy, Spain, France, Portugal and the Balkans.
Active fires across Europe 13 August 2025. Source: European Forest Fire Information System
As at 12 August, a total of 1599 fires larger than 30 hectares/74 acres have been recorded since the beginning of this year. Last year 1089 fires were detected over the same period. The area burnt is 409,220 hectares/1,011,204 acres. Last year in the same period the area burnt was 188,643 hectares/466,147 acres. The year is tracking towards a record season, according to data from the European Forest Fires Information System of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service.
Burnt area in Europe at 12 August 2025.
The long hot summer is set to continue with the fire danger forecast period predicting Extreme to Very Extreme conditions across the whole continent. Most of Portugal, Spain and France are in a particularly dangerous period, but other less fire prone regions are also on alert – southern United Kingdom, and parts of Sweden, Norway and Finland.
The 43rd Air Force Group in Spain is one of the main weapons in the fight against forest fires there, and the Canadian-built amphibious aircraft are one of the main reasons.
It has been over 50 years since the incorporation of the first two seaplanes, a major force in the fight from the air against forest fires in Spain and the region. The 43rd Air Force Group has accumulated a brilliant history and is one of the most successful and admired units of the Spanish Armed Forces.
Its history in Spain begins in 1969 when, after the results achieved in France, Canadair, the designer and builder of the seaplane (today Viking), deployed an aircraft in Galicia at the request of the Spanish government. The results were so impressive that the Ministry of Agriculture decided to purchase two aircraft to be operated and maintained by the Air Force. The government assigned them to the 803 Squadron of the Getafe Air Base, and personnel were trained in Canada late in 1970.
Crew training and aircraft delivery were overseen by the Canadian company and delivery flights made by the Spanish crews, who accepted the planes in February of 1971. The scoopers arrived at their base after crossing the Atlantic with stopovers in Newfoundland and the Azores. The aircraft carried out their first detachment at the Santiago de Compostela Aerodrome that same summer.
Because of the increase in forest fires and the achievements of the aircraft in the first two campaigns, in 1973 the purchase of eight more seaplanes was decided. The 404 Squadron was created, a unit dedicated exclusively to fighting forest fires and based in Torrejón de Ardoz. In 1974, the new planes arrived with some improvements – such as exploration and meteorological radar and bubble windows, which equipped the aircraft for their secondary task of search and rescue.
The C-215 were seaplanes with Pratt and Whitney piston engines with a power of 2,100 hp each, as well as water tanks with a capacity of 5,400 liters. Its crew consisted of a pilot, co-pilot, and maintenance specialist who also assists the crew when necessary.
In 1978 the 404 Squadron reached 10,000 flight hours and received several decorations and recognitions for its already impressive career. In 1980, the 404 became the 43rd Air Force Group, which it maintains to this day – as well as its summer deployments in Torrejón de Ardoz, Albacete, Palma de Mallorca, Santiago de Compostela, and Zaragoza.
In 1989, flight hours reached 55,000 and some aircraft were modified to the CL-215T version. This variant, developed by Canadair, was enhanced when the company was purchased by Bombardier. Among other improvements, the conversion replaces the piston engines with turboprop, resulting in greater performance and power (2,380 hp), four-blade propellers, larger capacity in the water tanks, and structural reforms such as winglets at the ends of the wings and improvements in controls and flight systems.
Not all the planes were converted, but ten seaplanes of the new version were purchased, and the unconverted primitive engines were sold or operated by civil companies, which have kept some in flight to this day.
The maintenance of the fleet has been carried out, since 1971, at the Albacete Air Master and the approvals are also conducted in Spain, a sign of the capacity of our aeronautical industry and the competence of the personnel.
In 1995, the 43 Group began operating with only the new CL-215T, reaching 100,000 flight hours in 1999 and counting thousands of hours during each season from June to September. With the passage of time and the acquisition of aircraft, the detachments have expanded: in addition to Torrejón de Ardoz, Albacete, Palma de Mallorca, Santiago de Compostela, and Zaragoza, they now also include Málaga and Badajoz, with full capacity to deploy in the Canary Islands.
In 2002, in response to the Prestige oil tanker disaster on the Galician coast, the 43rd Group collaborated with other units of the Air Force in the detection and monitoring of spills. The flights were intense and long in the harsh Atlantic winter, demonstrating the preparation and commitment of the crews and maintenance teams to help mitigate the disaster. Between December 25, 2002 and January 9, 2003, nine sorties were carried out, with some missions during that crisis lasting more than six hours with aircraft flying from sunrise to sunset.
A CL-215T carries around a 300 lb. lower payload than the CL-415 and does not have an electronic flight instrument system (EFIS) flight deck. The major visual difference is CL-215T’s two-door bomb bay; the CL-415 has a four-door bomb bay, and which aircraft is better is continuously debated by the worldwide operator base.
In 2006 the first of the four new CL-415s – an improved CL-215T – was received, and in 2012 the 43 Group reached 150,000 flight hours.
The Unidad Militar de Emergencias (UME) is a branch of the Spanish Armed Forces providing disaster relief throughout Spain, and abroad if required, and it relies on the 43 Group – with more than 150 people and 18 seaplanes (fourteen CL-215T and four CL-415, with fuselage numbers 43-31, 32, 33 and 34) that, year after year, fight forest fires not only in Spain but also other countries including Israel, Portugal, France, and Morocco. All these over the years have counted on Group 43 to fight fires in their territories.
The responsibility of the 43 Group is subject to the intensity of challenging launches, over very hot areas, landing on water surfaces that are not always clear of obstacles, along with other factors that could easily trigger disaster. Fifteen crew members over the years have lost their lives fighting wildfire. Their memory and sacrifice have a permanent tribute at the Group Headquarters, as a testimony to the enormous difficulty of the job that demands the maximum from its members.
The official motto of the 43 Group contains both the greatness and the humility with which its members fulfill their duty: Apaga … y vamanos. Literally translated, that is “Turn off and let’s go.” What it means is “Put this fire out and let’s go home” — or it’s all in a day’s work, not heroic, just part of the job.
In memoriam
08-09-1976
Alférez D. José Luis Herráez Soria
Brigada D. José Cachofeiro Ramón
Sargento 1º D. José Pérez Belmonte 12-10-1980
Comandante D. Óscar Sáez de Santamaría Alegría
Sargento 1º D. Luis Vélez Tarano 02-03-1981
Teniente D. Fernando Esteban Baturone
Teniente D. Aurelio Gil Laso
Alférez D. Eduardo Javier Moreno Jiménez
Sargento 1º D. Santiago García García 09-09-1988
Capitán D. Pedro Álvarez de Sotomayor Seoane
Capitán D. Jesús Cembranos Díaz
Teniente D. Carlos Ramírez de Esparza Figuerola-Ferreti
Sargento D. Juan Carlos Muyo Romero 25-03-2003
Sargento D. Manuel Fábrega Salas
Sargento D. Manuel Fernández Carrascosa
Miguel Hernández Fernández: “Since I can remember, I have been passionate about aviation. From building plastic kit airplanes I went on to photograph them and from there, when I had my first SLR camera in 1991, I became a spotter photographing real airplanes. At the same time I took the ultralight pilot course and, although I flew little, I enjoyed it to the fullest. With a journalistic vocation, I started with the magazine VOLAR, and the TV program ‘Caminos en el Aire,’ reporting on military and civil aviation with video. I obtained my university degree in communication and I maintain my passion for aviation and photography. And the best: when I hear a propeller or a jet engine, at home or outside, I always look at the sky.”
Bill Bailey sent us the following info for sharing.
(Thanks, Bill!)
Airbus A400M Grizzly, November 2023, Airbus photo
Airbus A400M Grizzly
A4M006
c/n 006
This A400M, then registered as F-WWMZ, was the one used in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.
“Filming of an action scene featuring Ethan Hunt … hanging on the outside of a flying Airbus A400M Atlas took place at RAF Wittering near Stamford. Tom Cruise performed the sequence, at times suspended on the aircraft over 5,000 feet (1,500 m) in the air, without the use of a stunt double. To pull off this stunt, the production team were given a limited period of only 48 hours. The plane took off and landed eight times before they had the perfect shot.” (Wikipedia)
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Airbus upgrades A400M firefighter prototype kit
December 2023
GETAFE, SPAIN — Airbus Defence and Space has conducted a new flight-test campaign of the A400M roll-on/roll-off firefighting prototype kit, dropping 20,000 litres of retardant (OVER 5,000 GALLONS) and creating high-concentration lines over 400 metres long on the ground.
Over a period of two weeks, the A400M carried out a ground- and flight-test campaign in southwestern and central Spain, including six drops, three of which using retardant and three using water.
“We have tested a new version of the kit, improving dropping efficiency and reducing discharge time by over 30 percent compared with last year, while combined with rapid deployment and easy installation on the A400M aircraft,” said Jean-Brice Dumont, head of Military Air Systems at Airbus Defence and Space. “We continue to pioneer new solutions and capabilities for our A400M fleet, in this case protecting populations and natural environments from fires.”
An easy-to-install solution
This roll-on/roll-off kit does not require any modification to the aircraft and therefore is interchangeable to any aircraft in the A400M fleet. The water or retardant is stored in a tank in the cargo hold of the aircraft, and by using a mechanical lever, a door is opened to allow the liquid to flow out of the aircraft by gravity means through a discharge pipe. The current design of the prototype is capable of dropping 20,000 litres in a single discharge.
The tanks can be filled in less than ten minutes using standard high-pressure pumps on the ground. The A400M is characterised by its ability to take off and land on short and unpaved runways and a wide range of air bases and airfields.
During the campaign, the 43rd Firefighting Squadron of the Spanish Air Force has been involved as technical advisors, assuring that this capability in the A400M has operational value for any potential operator.
In July 2022, Airbus tested a removable firefighting demonstrator kit on the A400M for the first time. The company concluded that the A400M firefighting kit offers additional capabilities not available on the market thanks to its high drop capacity, high maneuvrability with the latest safety standards, day and night operation, and the potential to convert any regular A400M in any fleet to a firefighting aircraft at very short notice.
An 80-year-old man was arrested for throwing stones at a helicopter that was fighting a wildfire. According to a Reuters report, the fire has been burning on the Spanish island of Tenerife for nearly a week.
The stones hit the blades of the helicopter, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing at a nearby football pitch, the mayor’s office of the town of Guimar on the Canary Islands said in a statement.
The rock-thrower is the owner of a reservoir from which the helicopter was retrieving water to drop on the fire, police said.
“We have one less helicopter because someone threw a stone and rendered it inoperative, due to the impact on the tail rotor,” said Rosa Davila, head of Tenerife’s local government.
The Canarian Weekly published helicopter video illustrating the fires’ intensity:
Video from a helicopter pilot fighting the fire on Tenerife island
The Canary Islands government has requested the assistance of three seaplanes from mainland Spain, which were flying from Malaga to help fight the fires. Officials were concerned that this could become an emergency not seen on the island for more than 16 years, since the fires of 2007.
Local farmers have protested at the use of scarce water resources to fight the fire, but Davila said that all the water used would be replaced.
The fire, which started on August 15, has burned almost 15,000 hectares (about 37,000 acres) of woodland within the national park surrounding the Mount Teide volcano, Spain’s highest peak. Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes.
Editor’s note: Certain members of a California IMT may recall a hostile landowner on a fire in Montana a few years ago, who went ballistic when a helicopter was dripping from his pond. … Anyone know how they might plan to replace that water they are borrowing from farmers’ ponds?
Weather forecast, Europe, for July 18, 2022. WeatherOnlne. For reference, 40C is 104F, and 35C is 95F.
As Western Europe enters its second heat wave in the last 30 days the maximum temperatures are predicted to set records. Residents in the United Kingdom could experience conditions none of them have ever seen as the temperature rises to 104F degrees (40C) or more, prompting officials to issue the first ever red “extreme heat” warning for Monday and Tuesday.
Farther south in Europe, in southwest France on Saturday there were temperature peaks of close to 108F (42C), as the city of Biarritz broke a maximum temperature record. Nearly three-quarters of the country’s population, 45 million people, were affected by red or orange heat alerts in what is the earliest heat wave ever recorded in France.
The hot, dry weather has resulted in numerous wildfires in Britain, Spain, Portugal, and France over the last several days, bringing an earlier than usual start of the fire season. Firefighters in London, yes, London, have dealt with more than 800 vegetation fires since the start of last month to July 12.
Firefighters work on a wildfire in the Bordeaux region of southwest France. AP.
Two blazes near the coastal town of Arcachon in France’s southwest Gironde region have burned more than 24,000 acres since Tuesday. About 3,000 firefighters assisted by firefighting aircraft are battling the blazes in southern France.
On Friday a pilot was killed while working on a fire in Northeast Portugal when an Air Tractor AT-802AF Fire Boss went down near the town of Torre de Moncorvo after scooping water on the Douro river.
Spain is also working on several large fires that have burned tens of thousands of acres. In southern Andalusia, 3,000 people were evacuated after a fire started near the village of Mijas in the province of Malaga. Around 200 firefighters supported by 18 aircraft are assigned to the incident.
BBC weather forecaster Ben Rich.
BBC weather forecaster Ben Rich explained that the current heat wave is caused by the jet stream shifting north and a portion of it breaking off to form a low pressure area west of Portugal, a cutoff low, with south winds pumping heat north into Western Europe including Spain, France and the UK.
Combined drought indicator last 10 days in June, 2022. European Commission’s Drought Observatory..
Much of Western Europe and the southern UK are in drought ranging from warning to alert levels, according to the European Commission’s Drought Observatory. The dry soils allow more surface heating and the result is record-setting temperatures and lower than average moisture in the vegetation, establishing conditions that are conducive to large wildfires with high resistance to control.
The video below is a summary of current wildfires in Western Europe.
