Firefighters work to extinguish a wildfire approaching Trancoso, Portugal, August 13, 2025. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes
PATRAS, Greece,/MADRID (Reuters) -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.
