{"id":2084,"date":"2026-07-27T13:44:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T13:44:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=2084"},"modified":"2026-07-27T13:44:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T13:44:27","slug":"what-to-know-about-the-historic-wildfires-in-france-and-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=2084","title":{"rendered":"What to know about the historic wildfires in France and Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PARIS (AP) \u2014 Heat waves and scant rainfall in Europe have contributed to historic wildfires<\/span> in France and Spain that have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes<\/span> in one of the continent\u2019s biggest evacuation efforts since World War II.<\/p>\n

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Rising temperatures later this week could complicate efforts to battle the blazes that have scorched<\/span> an area four times the size of Paris in southwestern France and are raging near Spain\u2019s capital, Madrid.<\/p>\n

Climate data shows Europe is heating faster than anywhere else on earth. The continent has already faced extreme heat events multiple times this year.<\/p>\n

Firefighters in Spain have called the blazes so violent that they could not be tackled head on. But the first glimmer of hope emerged Monday in France that the spread of a giant fire in the southwestern Gironde region may have slowed.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to know.<\/p>\n

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Climate change makes summers hotter and drier<\/h2>\n

Europe\u2019s above-average temperatures, with a prolonged heatwave in June, have contributed to drought conditions. Record-breaking temperatures in Western Europe compounded low rainfall levels as the extreme heat drew moisture from vegetation, creating abundant fuel that allows flames to spread faster and burn more intensely.<\/p>\n

A study<\/span> released in June by World Weather Attribution found that the record-breaking heat<\/span> in recent weeks would not have been possible without climate change<\/span>.<\/p>\n

France\u2019s national meteorological service M\u00e9t\u00e9o-France said June was the hottest on record there, averaging 3.8 degrees Celsius (6.8 degrees Fahrenheit) above normal, while rainfall was nearly 50% below average.<\/p>\n

Spain is used to forest fires in warmer months, but climate change has made its summers hotter and drier<\/span>. That, combined with the decline in farming and industries that once used forest materials, has turned large swaths of wilderness into a tinderbox.<\/p>\n

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Wildfires this year surpass previous records<\/h2>\n

While estimates vary, national and European Union authorities are reporting fires of record scope this year. The EU\u2019s European Forest Fire Information System estimates that over 300,000 hectares (3,000 square kilometers or 1,160 square miles) have burned in France and Spain.<\/p>\n

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