Fires in the EU have destroyed a record area of forests the size of Cyprus

The largest forest fires in history are raging in the European Union. For the first time in 19 years, the burned area has exceeded 1 million hectares.

Politico writes about this.

According to the publication, since the beginning of 2025, forest fires have destroyed about a million hectares, which is equal to the area of Cyprus or a third of the area of Belgium.

The greatest losses were recorded on August 5 — the flames covered 380 000 hectares, mostly on the Iberian Peninsula.

The largest fires:

• Spain — 400 000 hectares burned;
• Portugal — 270 000 hectares burned (3% of the entire countryʼs area).

Among the causes of large forest fires, scientists cite not only scorching heat, but also an excessive amount of flammable vegetation in uninhabited areas, which the authorities do not regulate in any way.

In addition, forest fires cause the release of large amounts of carbon dioxide, which increases air pollution levels.

• This year, devastating fires have also raged in Turkey due to the highest temperature in the countryʼs history — 50.5°C. The fire destroyed more than 3 thousand hectares. About 1.7 thousand people fled their homes due to the natural disaster. At least 14 people died as a result of the fires, 10 of them — volunteer rescuers and forest service workers.

Author: Sofia Bakun