Wildfires driven by extreme heat and drought forced thousands of people from their homes across Europe on Friday, August 14, as emergency crews fought outbreaks from France and Germany to Croatia, Greece, Spain and England. At least one person died in Croatia, dozens were injured across affected countries and shifting winds complicated operations, according to the Associated Press, The Guardian and El País.
Croatian authorities said a fire that erupted near the Adriatic coastal town of Omis late Thursday killed one person and sent 14 people to hospital, with seven in life-threatening condition early Friday. Strong winds pushed the flames rapidly through the area and more than 1,000 residents evacuated. Maritime crews rescued 194 people, including children, from the sea and boats. Firefighters contained that blaze by Friday morning while aircraft headed toward a new fire on the Peljesac peninsula.
In southwest France, a new fire in the Landes region burned about 1,100 hectares within hours and forced more than 500 people to leave Luglon, while hundreds of firefighters deployed. El País reported that 115,000 hectares had burned in France since mid-July, in the country's driest year on record. Météo-France placed four departments at maximum fire alert and 57 at high alert. Interior Ministry data showed 474 people had been detained in connection with fires since early July, although individual causes remained under investigation.
Germany evacuated all 1,800 residents of Gey after flames in the Hürtgen forest burned nearly 300 hectares, advanced to within about 300 metres of the village and encountered unexploded Second World War ordnance that hampered crews. In Stourbridge in central England, a grass fire destroyed an estimated 20 to 30 homes. Nineteen residents and six firefighters were hospitalised after fires in the West Midlands. Britain's Met Office recorded 38.1 Celsius in west London on Thursday, while July was the driest in England and Wales since records began in 1836.
Spain evacuated about 800 residents near an uncontrolled fire in Aragón and temporarily moved the remains of three 11th-century kings and other historic objects from the San Juan de la Peña monastery. A separate blaze in Huelva burned more than 300 square kilometres. In northern Greece, authorities evacuated more than 300 residents and visitors by sea, while Albania reported 11 active fires on Friday. The simultaneous emergencies stretched crews far beyond the Mediterranean's traditional fire zones.
The Associated Press linked the record temperatures to human-caused climate change, which is intensifying heat and drying landscapes that can feed fast-moving fires. The European Commission had prepared its largest wildfire operation for the 2026 season, pre-positioning 777 firefighters from 14 countries and placing 22 aircraft and five helicopters on standby. Authorities continued to monitor wind and weather, maintain evacuation alerts and investigate ignition sources as crews worked to prevent new outbreaks and renewed spread.
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