Wildfire season sets EU record for burnt area
The European Union recorded its most destructive wildfire season in 2025, with over one million hectares burned across Member States and activity peaking during summer heatwaves.
The Joint Research Centre reported that satellite analysis from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) showed 1,079,538 hectares burned within the EU.
The total rises to 2,242,195 hectares when including areas across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa monitored by EFFIS.
The fire season began early, with more than 100,000 hectares burned by the end of March.
Fire activity increased from June and reached its highest levels in August as large fires spread across Mediterranean countries.
A heatwave in early August triggered 22 very large fires in Portugal and Spain, burning 460,585 hectares which accounted for 43% of the EU total.
In total, 7,783 fires were recorded across 25 of the 27 EU Member States, with Luxembourg and Malta the only countries unaffected.
Germany, Spain, Cyprus and Slovakia each recorded their highest burnt area since EFFIS records began in 2006.
Burnt area across the EU was nearly double the average recorded between 2006 and 2024.
Around 39% of the total burnt area occurred within Natura 2000 protected sites, equating to 424,023 hectares.
Monitoring and response measures for wildfire risk
The Joint Research Centre outlined that EFFIS continues to support authorities with monitoring and preparedness through satellite-based wildfire data.
The 2025 season reflects a pattern of earlier fire starts, more frequent heatwaves and fires occurring at higher latitudes than previously observed.
Outside the EU, Ukraine accounted for almost 30% of the total burnt area and 39% of mapped fires within the wider monitored region.
The European Commission adopted a new integrated approach to wildfire risk management on 25 March 2026, covering prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.
The framework includes plans to improve early warning systems and fire mapping through expanded satellite data availability.
EFFIS forms part of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service and provides standardised wildfire data across Europe.
The EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) coordinates firefighting resources from Member States and participating countries.
Seasonal measures include prepositioning firefighters in high-risk areas and maintaining a shared aerial firefighting fleet under rescEU.
The Commission has allocated funding for 12 firefighting planes and five helicopters to expand the permanent rescEU fleet, with aircraft based across several European countries.
These measures sit alongside ongoing efforts to strengthen wildfire monitoring and response capacity across the region.