Europe on fire: Italy, Spain and France engulfed by forest fires

This summer, wildfires in Italy have destroyed about 70,000 hectares of land. That’s roughly the size of 100,000 football fields and more than double the average over the past 20 years.

This is reported by ANSA, citing a report by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

According to WWF, the area burned this year is 133% larger than the average for the past two decades. Almost a third of all fires occurred in protected areas.

The fund noted that the situation is even more difficult in other European countries. In Spain, more than 219,000 hectares have already burned, and in France – more than 91,000 hectares. Dozens of people have died due to large-scale fires, and more than 300,000 residents have been forced to temporarily leave their homes.

WWF emphasized that instead of weakening climate policy, EU countries should strengthen measures to reduce emissions, restore natural ecosystems, and protect the environment to prevent similar disasters in the future.