"Wildfires Fanned By Heatwave And Strong Winds Rage Across Europe"

"Wildfires have destroyed 440,000 ha so far this year, double the average" 

"PATRAS, Greece,/MADRID - Wildfires caused by arsonists or thunderstorms and fanned by a heatwave and strong winds wreaked destruction across southern Europe on Wednesday, burning homes and forcing thousands of residents and tourists to flee.

Fire has affected nearly 440,000 hectares (1,700 square miles) in the eurozone so far in 2025, double the average for the same period of the year since 2006, according to the EU Science Hub's Joint Research Centre.

Flames and dark smoke billowed over a cement factory that was set alight by a wildfire that swept through olive groves and forests and disrupted rail traffic on the outskirts of the Greek city of Patras, west of Athens.

"What does it look like? It looks like doomsday. May God help us and help the people here,” said Giorgos Karvanis, a volunteer who had come from Athens to Patras to help."

Louiza Vradi, David Latona, Aislinn Laing, Ivana Sekularac, Ilse Filks, Andrei Khalip, Gavin Jones, and Charlie Devereux report for Reuters August 13, 2025.

SEE ALSO:

"In Data: Europe's Wildfire Challenge In Charts" (Context)

"Canada Has Its Second-Worst Wildfire Season on Record" (New York Times)