Spain and France battle some of the most extensive forest fires in decades

Spain and France recorded some of their most extensive forest fires in decades during July 2026. Spain faced the largest fire in its observation history, while France documented the first appearance of a pyrocumulonimbus—a rare cloud generated by the energy of an active blaze.

Damage in Spain and France

The most destructive fire occurred in the Spanish province of Avila. Official data indicates that the fire destroyed approximately 50,000 hectares. When including neighboring hotspots, total burned areas reached 77,000 hectares, a scale comparable to the area of New York City. Landsat 9 satellite imagery from July 29 confirmed extensive landscape damage around Burgohondo, where residential homes and tourist infrastructure near reservoirs were destroyed.

In France, the situation was most severe in the Gironde department. One of the decade's largest fires consumed more than 42,000 hectares, forcing mass evacuations and resulting in the destruction of the village of Le Porge. Total burned land across France exceeded 90,000 hectares, marking one of the worst periods in many years.

Meteorological Factors and Atmospheric Phenomena

Researchers from The State of Wildfires Project attribute the intensity of these fires to a combination of weather factors. An abnormally wet winter led to rapid vegetation growth; subsequent prolonged heat and drought then turned this growth into dry combustible material. High winds, reaching speeds of 65 km/h in some areas, further accelerated the spread of the fire.

A specific atmospheric event was recorded in southwestern France on July 25. Extreme heat triggered the formation of a pyrocumulonimbus—a high-altitude cloud created by powerful upward currents of hot air rising from the fire. Atmospheric monitoring specialists noted that while such phenomena have previously been recorded in Spain and Portugal, this is the first registered case for France.

Current data from NASA satellite monitoring and the EFSIS system confirm the scale of the disaster. However, researchers have not yet determined whether the appearance of these "fire clouds" in France is a result of long-term climate change or an isolated meteorological event.

Source: This article was adapted from an original Russian-language publication by Pravda.Ru.