2023 among the five worst years for wildfires in Europe, but 2024 provides some relief

The 2023 wildfire season ranks among the EU’s worst in over two decades, fuelled by climate change. Fires devastated vast areas, threatening ecosystems and lives. As fire risks rise, Europe must prevent and prepare for intensifying wildfire seasons.

The latest JRC report on Forest Fires in Europe, Middle East and North Africa 2023 shows that last year was one of the worst five years for wildfires in EMEA since 2000. Wildfires affected over 500 000 hectares of natural lands, roughly half the size of the island of Cyprus.

In recent years, catastrophic wildfires have been common in the European Union and neighbouring countries. 2023 was no exception: the region experienced wildfires that were impossible to bring under control by traditional firefighting means – the so-called ‘megafires’ – including a fire near the city of Alexandroupolis in the Greek region of East Macedonia and Thrace. This was the largest single wildfire recorded in the EU since the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) started tracking them in 2000.

This year was also critical in terms of damage to human lives and assets: at least 41 deaths were reported due to wildfires. 

Climate change was a key driver for the increased severity of wildfires in recent years

The unprecedented wildfires sweeping Europe over the last four years show the undeniable effects of climate change on wildfire regimes. Climate change is not only increasing the size of the areas affected by wildfires, but also making individual fires more intense, prolonging the fire season beyond the traditional summer period, and causing fires to happen in areas that were not usually affected by them.

The high frequency and intensity of wildfires during prolonged fire seasons pose a new challenge to firefighting services across Europe and globally, as aerial firefighting becomes more arduous, and ground operations become more difficult or even impossible.

So far, the 2024 wildfire season has been less severe in the EU

As summer has ended, we can also make a preliminary assessment of the 2024 wildfire season in the EU. Until mid-September, the area burnt by fires in the EU was below the average of the last two decades. This is mainly due to the intermittent rainfall that affected much of the EU territory throughout spring and summer.

In September, multiple wildfires broke out simultaneously in Portugal. This brought the 2024 wildfire damage above the EU average of the last decades. Regardless, 2024 can be considered a less severe wildfire season as it marks a downturn in damage after three consecutive years of devastating fires.

The European Commission and the EU Member States are improving their prevention, preparedness and firefighting capabilities, which might have contributed to containing damage across the EU this year.

Tackling the root cause of wildfires and raising awareness about the changing climate

To tackle wildfires in Europe and globally, it is necessary to minimise the number of wildfire ignitions and manage the landscape in vulnerable regions to prevent the accumulation of high-risk fuel types and their spatial continuity. 

Roughly 96% of wildfires in the EU are caused by human actions, meaning that education and awareness-raising campaigns are an essential part of the solution. As the climate crisis worsens, it is crucial that Europe’s population prepares for more frequent and intense wildfires. Prevention measures must target all sectors of the population, including rural communities in direct contact with natural areas, as well as the particularly vulnerable population that lives in the ‘wildland urban interface’.

Background

The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) is a network of 43 countries that exchange harmonised information on forest fires and assess their effects in Europe. It is also a platform for exchange of good practices on fire prevention, firefighting, restoration, and other fire management activities.

Since 2015, EFFIS is one of the components of the Emergency Management Services of Copernicus, the EU Earth observation programme which provides information on the planet and its environment from both satellite monitoring and in situ data.