From Spain to Greece, from the Balkans to Portugal, and through Germany: the violent and prolonged heatwaves that have swept across western Europe since the end of May have left soils and vegetation extremely dry. Combined with extremely high temperatures and, not infrequently, strong winds, all the perfect conditions for mega-fires have been in place. Exceptional blazes first struck France and Spain, before the flames spread to numerous other countries.

Fires in the protected area of Hautes Fagnes, Belgium

In Belgium, the worst fire in modern history was recorded, destroying around three thousand hectares of vegetation on the Hautes Fagnes plateau, situated between Wallonia and the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia. This is Belgium's largest protected area, making the situation all the more dramatic from an ecological standpoint.

Between Sunday 16 August and Monday 17 alone, a brief but providential weather front allowed the roughly 500 firefighters battling the blaze to bring the situation under greater control. But at the same time, debate grew over the country's lack of preparedness in the face of the impacts of climate change.

Further blazes in France after the Gironde mega-fire; deaths and injuries in Greece

Following the catastrophic fire (around 42,000 hectares destroyed) in the Gironde department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, another major blaze has struck a nearby area of France, the Landes. Within just a few days, 1,700 hectares had been destroyed. Another serious fire broke out in the southern Var department (2,550 hectares burned) and then at Biscarrosse, in the south-western part of the country.

In Greece, two fires struck the island of Salamina, not far from Athens. The flames claimed two lives and forced the seaborne evacuation of 600 people. Previously, fires had also broken out near Thessaloniki and on the island of Crete.

Flames in Portugal, Spain and the Balkans too. Italy loses the equivalent of 100,000 football pitches

Portugal has not been spared either. Two fires in particular are currently affecting the north of the country: at Torre de Moncorvo, nearly 400 firefighters are battling the flames, which have already destroyed at least 900 hectares of forest. Another blaze is located at Ponte de Lima, where 170 firefighters have been mobilised. In Spain, following the fire that struck the outskirts of Madrid, a soldier died while attempting to extinguish the flames burning through the forests of Aragon.

Particularly severe fires then struck Croatia, where one person died, dozens were injured and thousands were forced to abandon their homes. In Serbia, major fires were recorded in the Deliblato Sands nature reserve, some fifty kilometres from the capital Belgrade, and near the city of Kraljevo. Further blazes also broke out in Romania.

In Italy, according to WWF, 70,000 hectares have so far gone up in flames across numerous fires: "The equivalent of around 100,000 football pitches, representing a 133 per cent increase compared to the average over the last twenty years."

Restoring one hectare of burned forest can cost up to 10,000 euros

A situation that has repeatedly compelled the European Union to activate the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to manage and distribute resources. Yet numerous countries are now questioning the need to improve their response capabilities.

Meanwhile, the damage is already being tallied: according to the French Ministry of Ecological Transition, restoring one hectare of burned forest can cost up to 10,000 euros. According to Swiss broadcaster RTS, in two months France, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Romania have collectively seen nearly 500,000 hectares go up in flames. This puts the total bill at 5 billion euros. And the summer season is not yet over.