Wildfires across Europe have killed hundreds over the last decade

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Play/PauseSPACE Increase Volume↑ Decrease Volume↓ Seek Forward→ Seek Backward← Captions On/Offc Fullscreen/Exit Fullscreenf Mute/Unmutem Decrease Caption Size- Increase Caption Size+ or = Seek %0-9 Next Up Stocks fall, oil soars after Trump says ceasefire with Iran is 'over' 00:52 00:00 00:26 00:26 More Videos 00:52 Stocks fall, oil soars after Trump says ceasefire with Iran is 'over' 01:31 Spain, Portugal fans hold colorful marches ahead of World Cup match 01:01 Reactions in Madrid and Lisboa after Spain advances to the World Cup quarterfinals 00:48 Spain en route to quarterfinals after ending Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup career 00:57 Time capsule buried in Philadelphia with items from around the country as US marks 250th birthday 01:08 UK and Norwegian PMs shake hands ahead of their countries' World Cup quarter final match 00:43 Son demands independent probe after father shot and killed by ICE officer in Houston 01:12 Hospitalized Mitch McConnell confers with GOP leaders amid health speculation Close 1 of 6 | A wildfire in southern Spain has killed at least 11 people, making it one of the country’s deadliest on record, as soaring temperatures grip much of the country, authorities said early Friday. Several victims of the fire in Los Gallardos were found inside burnt-out vehicles, local media reported. 2 of 6 | This image made from video provided by INFOCA shows firefighters battling a wildfire near Los Gallardos, Almeria, Spain, on Thursday, July 9, 2026. (INFOCA via AP) 3 of 6 | Locals try to extinguish a wildfire on the outskirts of the northern city of Thessaloniki, Greece, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos) 4 of 6 | Firefighters work on a wildfire near Ille-sur-Têt, southern France, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) 5 of 6 | Firefighters try to extinguish a fire at a warehouse during a wildfire on the outskirts of the northern city of Thessaloniki, Greece, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos) 6 of 6 | A firefighter works on a wildfire on the outskirts of the northern city of Thessaloniki, Greece, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos) By THE Associated Press Updated 1:28 PM MESZ, July 10, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit MADRID (AP) — Wildfires raging across Europe have killed hundreds of people over the last decade, and climate change is set to push the death toll even higher in the coming years. A wildfire in southern Spain killed at least 11 people overnight into Friday morning, making it one of the country’s deadliest on record, as soaring temperatures gripped much of the country. Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Globally, 2025 was the third-hottest year on record, bringing several intense heat waves across Europe. Scientists warn that climate change caused in part by the burning of fuels like gasoline, oil and coal is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, making certain regions more vulnerable to Wildfires. Here’s a look at some of the last decade’s deadliest Wildfires across Europe: Greece’s deadliest wildfire was in 2018, when a massive blaze swept through the seaside town of Mati, east of Athens, trapping people in their homes and on roads as they tried to flee. More than 100 people died, including some who drowned trying to swim away from the flames. In 2023, more than 20 people died in Greek Wildfires, including 18 migrants who became trapped by the flames of what became Europe’s largest single recorded wildfire as they crossed through a forest in northeastern Greece. More recently, a wildfire in northern Greece killed a 12-year-old boy and his father last week. Wildfire forces Tour de France to ban fans from stage finale as parts of Europe sizzle again 1 MIN READ France records around 1,000 additional deaths as extreme heat breaks European records 6 MIN READ France sizzles in punishing heat that is already causing deaths 6 MIN READ 10 killed in Turkish wildfire last year Last July, 10 firefighters and rescue workers were killed while trying to put out a wildfire that raged in a forested area of Eskisehir province in northwestern Turkey. The victims were forestry workers and members of the AKUT rescue organization. Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said at the time that winds suddenly changed direction, causing the flames to shift and surround the forestry workers. One of them was a 28-year-old man who had returned to work from his honeymoon just two days earlier. And one AKUT volunteer had spent a month rescuing the victims of a catastrophic earthquake that struck southern Turkey in February 2023. Portugal’s deadliest wildfire left 66 people dead in 2017 in Pedrogao Grande, 200 kilometers (120 miles) northeast of Lisbon. Most of the victims died on one road while trying to flee in cars. Additional late-season Wildfires brought 2017’s annual wildfire-related death toll in Portugal even higher, to more than 120 people, making it the deadliest year for such fatalities. The victims included a 1-month-old infant and the baby’s parents. The Portuguese government went on to enact a range of measures to prevent and contain Wildfires. Reforms included public education campaigns on how fires start, establishing a rapid reaction force of firefighters and cutting several thousand kilometers (miles) of firebreaks, as well as making available a large number of firefighting assets. In Cyprus, many officials have pointed to climate change for the ferocity and speed of recent Wildfires that have claimed at least six lives over the last five years. In July 2021, the charred remains of four Egyptian laborers were discovered outside a fire-swept mountain village in what one official called the “most destructive” blaze the east Mediterranean island nation had ever seen. Last July, rescue crews found the bodies of an elderly couple inside a gutted car on the shoulder of a mountain road. The speed with which the wildfire scorched roughly 50 square miles of forested hillsides prompted President Nikos Christodoulides to remark that “there’s never been anything like this before in Cyprus.” Very strong winds, high temperatures and very arid conditions after three winters of minimal rainfall created a perfect storm at the wildfire’s peak. In August last year, a study by World Weather Attribution said climate change that has driven scorching temperatures and dwindling rainfall made massive Wildfires in Turkey, Greece and Cyprus burn much more fiercely that summer.