2024 was Europe's hottest year since records began in 1940.
Hotter and drier conditions, combined with more frequent droughts and heatwaves, are creating highly flammable landscapes, particularly in southern and central Europe, according to the European Environment Agency.
Portugal recorded the largest burned area in the EU in 2024, with nearly 450 km2 of land destroyed.
Fires occurred early in the wildfire season on the island of Madeira, and later around mid-September on the mainland.
After Portugal, Bulgaria and Spain were the countries where flames consumed more land, with 310.9 km2 and 186.5 km2 burned, respectively.
It is not the first time wildfires have hit Portugal the hardest.
In 2017, the country experienced an extremely destructive fire season. A total of 117 people died and 902.6 km² were burnt.
Although this year's fire season is not over yet, from the beginning of the year until 15 July, the area burned through is already three times higher than the same period last year, according to the Portuguese National Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests.
Between 2000 and 2024, wildfires burned an average of 3,770 km² of EU land every year.
This accounts for an annual average of 10% of forests and 21% of grasslands being burnt in the EU.
It is estimated that wildfires cost the EU €2.5 billion every year, due to the destruction or severe damage to buildings and infrastructure such as power lines, water supply and transport routes.
They can also deter tourists, hitting local economies that depend on tourism.
What causes wildfires?
The European Environment Agency estimates that human behaviour and activities, such as negligence and arson, directly or indirectly account for 95% of wildfires in Europe.
Human-caused fires often start near the border between built areas and semi-natural or wild areas, such as roads or towns adjacent to forests.
However, human ignition alone is not directly related to the spread and intensity of a fire.
Only 1.2% of European fires have resulted in 65% of the total area burned.
The likelihood of a wildfire becoming uncontrollable depends on the type of vegetation, fuel on the ground, topography, and weather conditions (high temperature, low relative humidity and fast wind).
As temperatures rise due to climate change, so does the risk of wildfires becoming more frequent, intense and long-term in Europe.
A 2025 study concluded that firefighters who were directly involved in Portugal's 2017 extreme fire season show limited understanding of extreme fire behaviour and direct minimal attention toward prevention measures.
