Extreme fire risk in Europe growing due to heatwaves and drought making them harder to fight

Large swathes of southern Europe and the Mediterranean are experiencing extreme conditions contributing to fires

Joe Middleton
Monday 04 July 2022 16:14 BST
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<p>A fire burns on a hill near Korydallos, west of Athens, Greece </p>

A fire burns on a hill near Korydallos, west of Athens, Greece

The risk of extreme fires is growing in Europe due to increasing heatwaves and droughts, a new study has revealed.

The research, published in Scientific Reports, said that large swathes of southern Europe and the Mediterranean are experiencing extreme conditions that are contributing to fires.

Lead author Jofre Carnicer, lecturer of ecology at the Faculty of Biology at the University of Barcelona, said: “This increase in extreme fire risk is quite recent and at critical times it exceeds the fire-fighting capabilities of European societies, causing higher Co2 emissions associated with fire in extremely hot and dry summers.”

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