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In the 2025, the Portugal , Spain have been hit by devastating forest fires, destroying over one million hectares of land in Europe. This amounts to two-thirds of the burned area. According to a study by World Weather Attribution (WWA), extreme weather conditions, aggravated by climate change, have made these events increasingly frequent and intense.
The situation was further aggravated by a series of heat waves that hit Iberia, with temperatures exceeding 40 gradi Celsius.
The causes of the fires
WWA revealed that hot, dry conditions fueling wildfires in Portugal and Spain have increased significantly. The likelihood of such conditions occurring has increased by 40 times higher due to climate change. The report, published after a summer marked by a deadly heatwave, highlighted how 2025 was the most devastating year in the last thirty years, with the area burned in Spain nearly quadrupling the annual average.
In Portugal, the burned area was 2,3 times higher higher than the annual average since 1980Overall, over 380.000 hectares were destroyed in Spain, while 280.000 hectares were reduced to ashes in Portugal. This brings the total to over one million hectares across Europe, the highest number since 2006, according to Copernicus European Forest Fire Information System.
Impact on population and environment
The human toll has been heavy: at least four people have lost their lives in the fires, while thousands have been forced to evacuate their homes. The situation has raised concerns about the ability of firefighting resources to cope with such extreme events. "With further warming, increasingly extreme fire conditions will continue to test firefighting resources and exceed the limits of adaptation," researchers warn.
Furthermore, the report highlighted how the phenomenon of rural depopulation and the aging population in some areas of Portugal and Spain have left large swathes of unmanaged forest land. This has created dense fuel loads and more vulnerable conditions for fires. High temperatures in August, with peaks of 40 gradi Celsius in many areas, have further aggravated the situation.
The ecological consequences
The fires have had devastating effects on nature, damaging national protected areas in Spain and Portugal, including habitats of 395 species endangered or vulnerable. Ecological devastation has been accompanied by an increase in heatwave-related deaths, with over 1.100 dead in Spain, according to estimates of Carlos III Health InstituteSpain's State Meteorological Agency has described this heat wave as "the most intense" ever recorded.
In conclusion, the fire crisis in Iberia in 2025 highlights the urgent need to address climate change and implement more effective strategies for forest management and the protection of vulnerable communities. Remaining proactive is crucial to mitigating these devastating events in the future.