Europe's wildfires in 2022 have nearly quadrupled the 15-year average: Report

The total number of wildfires since the beginning of 2022 in the European Union is nearly four times the average of 15 years for the same time period, as per Copernicus, the European Union's Earth observation program. Copernicus said in a tweet on Tuesday that approximately 1,926 wildfires had ravaged EU countries from the beginning of the year until July 23. In contrast, using data from 2006 to 2021, the average number for the same time period of the year was 520.  

Notably, this summer, Europe has been engulfed in an intense heat wave that made the already severe and persistent drought that was affecting several parts of the continent far worse. Because there hasn't been any major rainfall for weeks or even months, large fires had started in certain areas. Amidst Europe's record-breaking heatwave, flames have destroyed hundreds of hectares of land in Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, France, and Germany, CNN reported. 

Wildfires in Europe

In Germany, as fires are currently mostly under control, two regions that were impacted by significant forest fires are still in a "tense" condition, according to German officials. As per local forest fire protection officer Philipp Haase, who spoke to CNN on Wednesday, 480 firemen are still battling fires in Saxony to the east and Brandenburg to the northeast. 

Besides Germany, wildfires that started on Wednesday morning in the Ardeche region in southeast France had destroyed 900 hectares of land and prompted evacuations in several cities, according to the French daily newspaper Le Figaro. Further, it reported that nearly 550 firemen, 100 intervention engines, and fire brigade airborne units were dispatched to put out the flames. 

According to local officials, the major fire is continuing to spread down the Ardeche river and is heading towards the city of Vogue, where the Ardeche firemen are stationed. 

In addition to this, at least 53 additional fires began between Saturday and Sunday evening across Greece, as the National Fire Service fought to put out the blazes roaring in Evros, Lesbos, and close to the western town of Grevena, as per media reports.  

All heat waves, which can start or worsen wildfires, now bear the imprint of human-caused climate change, according to scientists who relate the climate problem to severe weather events. The more the global average temperature rises, the more heat waves are anticipated to occur more frequently and stay longer, CNN reported.  

Last week was the first time that temperatures in the United Kingdom exceeded 40 degrees Celsius, with July 19 setting a record for hottest day in the nation. Due to the heat, further wildfires even started in the nation's capital, London. 

(Image: AP)