Overview

• Data compiled from EFFIS show 1,015,731 hectares burned across the EU by Thursday, surpassing the 2017 record with the Iberian Peninsula accounting for most recent losses.
• Spain has exceeded 400,000 hectares burned with four deaths, and authorities report 21 level‑two fires in the west as strong winds hinder work despite forecasts for higher humidity and localized rain.
• Portugal’s burned area stands near 274,000 hectares with at least three deaths, and a firefighter suffered severe burns on Thursday when a blaze overtook his engine in Valverde.
• EU partners have deployed aircraft and crews from Germany, France, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Slovenia, alongside thousands of local firefighters and troops.
• Spain’s environmental prosecutor ordered checks on municipal prevention plans as experts highlight rural abandonment and fuel buildup; CAMS reports Spain’s wildfire carbon emissions set a new high for its two‑decade dataset in early August.