Wildfires force thousands to flee as blazes spread across Europe

What the report says

Wildfires have forced mass evacuations across several European countries as hot, dry and windy conditions continue to fuel blazes in Germany, France, Croatia and Greece, Al Jazeera reported. The article said the fires are unfolding after successive heatwaves this summer, with roughly 500,000 hectares of land burned across the European Union.

In Croatia, strong winds pushed flames into the tourist town of Omis, where settlements and nearby forest areas were affected. Al Jazeera, citing local media, reported that 14 people were hospitalised in Split, including seven in life-threatening condition. Fire officials described the overnight response as difficult as crews worked along the stretch between Lokva Rogoznica and Omis.

Authorities in western Germany ordered about 1,800 people to leave homes near Gey, close to the Belgian border, while 525 villagers evacuated in southwestern France’s Landes region. There, a fire had burned 1,100 hectares and reached within 2 kilometres of Luglon village, with hundreds of firefighters and aircraft deployed, according to the report.

In northern Greece’s Halkidiki region, tourists and residents also fled as winds spread flames near a resort. The broader significance, Al Jazeera noted, is the mounting strain on emergency services as climate-linked heatwaves and drought intensify wildfire risk across southern and western Europe.