BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 14. Wildfires have swept through parts of Croatia, Germany, France and Greece this week, forcing thousands of people to evacuate and leaving dozens injured as extreme heat and drought intensify wildfire risks across Europe during the peak summer holiday season.
Scientists have linked the increasingly hot and dry conditions to climate change, warning that they are creating highly favourable conditions for wildfires, particularly in France, Spain and Greece. Several countries in the Balkans have also experienced repeated heatwaves this summer.
In Croatia, a wildfire reached the tourist town of Omis overnight, engulfing homes and forcing about 1,000 residents and holidaymakers to evacuate to emergency shelters opened in several towns between Omis and Split, according to fire and health authorities.
Health officials said around 36 people were treated by ambulance services in Split, approximately 25 kilometres north of Omis. Fourteen people were hospitalized, while seven suffered life-threatening injuries.
Germany also faced a major wildfire threat on Friday. More than 2,000 people were evacuated from their homes in the western part of the country after a fire near the Belgian border spread toward a village, according to local authorities.
In France, authorities evacuated 525 people from the village of Luglon after a wildfire broke out in the southwestern Landes region. The area is located close to regions that have already suffered major fires this summer.
Luglon is around 100 kilometres southeast of the popular Arcachon Bay tourist area, where two major wildfires destroyed more than 50,000 hectares of land and prompted the evacuation of as many as 220,000 people in late July.
Greece has also been affected. Hundreds of holidaymakers fled a beach town in the northern Halkidiki region on Thursday as a wildfire rapidly approached the coast.
The latest fires have highlighted the growing risks facing European tourist destinations during increasingly hot and dry summers. The combination of high temperatures, prolonged drought and dry vegetation can allow fires to spread rapidly and place additional pressure on emergency services.
The wave of wildfires is also renewing attention on the impact of climate change on Europe’s summer tourism season, as extreme heat and fire risks increasingly become factors influencing travel plans and the safety of visitors.
