EU Wildfires Burn Area Larger Than Cyprus in Record Year

In Europe, forest fires have destroyed an area the size of Cyprus. The total area of forest fires in the European Union has exceeded one million hectares for the first time since records began in 2006, setting a new record.

Since January 2025, fires have destroyed 1,016,000 hectares, which is larger than the area of Cyprus. The vast majority of fires occurred on the Iberian Peninsula.

In Spain, more than 400,000 hectares have burned, while in the significantly smaller Portugal, more than 270,000 hectares have burned, which is 3% of the country's total territory.