France and England Struggle Against Wildfires Amid Record European Heat

Firefighters in France and England are really up against it this summer. Wildfires are tearing through dry landscapes as Europe swelters under record-breaking heat. In France’s Landes region, a fast-moving fire forced over 500 people out of their homes in Luglon overnight. Hundreds of firefighters jumped in to try and stop the flames, all in what’s shaped up to be the driest year the country’s ever seen.

But it’s not just the usual hot spots. Fires have torched forests in Brittany and up north—places that are usually cool and rainy. Just a few weeks ago, a massive wildfire near Bordeaux pushed nearly 250,000 residents to evacuate, charring woods that cover an area four times the size of Paris.

England hasn’t fared any better. The West Midlands battled destructive fires after temperatures in west London shot up to 38.1°C, the highest of the year. Several homes burned down, and officials said these fires marked one of the region’s worst events in living memory. Since the start of the year, there have already been more than 1,000 wildfire reports across England and Wales.

This heatwave just won’t quit. France had temperatures soaring to 41°C in Aquitaine and the Rhone Valley. England faced its driest July in nearly 200 years. Scientists point out Europe is warming more than twice as fast as the rest of the world, and it shows. Drought, record-high sea temperatures, and El Niño have all just made things worse, turning the fire season into a full-blown crisis.

All of this shows how urgently Europe needs to adapt to climate change. Most places don’t have the infrastructure to deal with this kind of heat. Few people have access to things like air conditioning. If the climate keeps getting hotter, these challenges are only going to pile up.