Climate change made France, Spain wildfire conditions far more likely, scientists say

A firefighter stands before flames as a forest fire rages in Saint-Jean-d'Illac, some 30km from Bordeaux, on July 26, 2026. © Romain Perrocheau, AFP

Researchers warn that hotter, drier conditions are making severe wildfire seasons increasingly frequent across Europe.

Human-caused climate change made the extreme weather fuelling wildfires in southwestern France twice as likely, and made the conditions driving blazes in central Spain 20 times more likely, scientists said on Friday.