A spell of extreme heat settled over much of Europe this week, drying the landscape and feeding wildfires that stretched from the Iberian Peninsula to the Low Countries and Britain. Firefighters worked across multiple countries, and residents in several areas were told to leave their homes.

In Belgium, crews battled a wildfire that officials described as the largest the country has recorded. The European Union responded by sending firefighting aircraft to help contain the flames, part of a coordinated effort as national services strained against the conditions. Evacuation warnings were also issued in parts of Greece and France as fires advanced.

Spain confronted its own emergencies as fires spread across parts of the country. In one instance, authorities removed the remains of 11th-century kings from a monastery to protect them as flames approached, a step that underscored how close some fires came to inhabited and historic sites.

Britain experienced the heat on what forecasters recorded as the hottest day of the year. A nationwide emergency alert preceded a series of fire outbreaks. A major incident was declared after a fire broke out near Luton Airport, one of several blazes that stretched emergency resources. In Stourbridge, in the West Midlands, wildfires reached residential areas. One resident described the loss simply, saying that "all that's left are the clothes we're standing in."

Inside London's fire control centre, crews tracked calls and dispatched engines across the capital through the day, managing a volume of incidents driven by the dry conditions. The pattern repeated across the continent: parched ground and high temperatures combined to make fires difficult to predict and slow to contain.

The fires and the heat arrived together. High temperatures dried vegetation, and the resulting fires threatened homes, airports, farmland and cultural landmarks. Governments moved to evacuate residents where fires drew near, while emergency services coordinated across borders through EU mechanisms designed to pool aircraft and personnel during large-scale events.

As of the latest reports, firefighting operations continued in Belgium, Greece, France, Spain and Britain. Officials in affected areas urged residents to follow local guidance and to prepare for further warnings while the heat persisted.

References

1. 1.National and European fire service statements — Belgium's largest recorded wildfire and EU aircraft deployment
2. 2.Greek and French authorities — evacuation warnings
3. 3.Spanish authorities — removal of 11th-century royal remains from a monastery
4. 4.UK forecasters and emergency services — hottest day of the year, nationwide alert, Luton Airport major incident, Stourbridge fires
5. 5.London Fire Brigade — control centre operations and incident volume