Wildfires in Southern Europe: Thousands Evacuated, Two Dead Near Thessaloniki

Supported by firefighting aircraft, more than 580 firefighters were deployed to combat the blaze some 35 kilometers west of the city of Perpignan. The prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department ordered the evacuation of at-risk localities; several thousand people are affected. On Sunday evening, the prefecture stated that around 5,000 people were to be brought to safety from localities in a mountain range west of Perpignan.

Numerous people had to be brought to safety. According to the broadcaster BFMTV, a resident and a firefighter were critically injured. Mayor Edmond Jorda told the AFP news agency that the fire was spreading extremely quickly, driven by strong winds. Asked about the status of the blaze, he said: "Es brennt noch immer."

In addition to the Pyrenees fire, authorities reported another wildfire covering approximately 300 hectares in an uninhabited area in southeastern France. The situation was particularly tense in southern France on Sunday. On Thursday evening, a new fire also broke out near a campsite in Sainte-Marie-la-Mer south of Narbonne; according to the fire department, nearly 3,000 people were evacuated, about half of them from campsites. Dozens of mobile homes and 26 bungalows were destroyed there by the fire, and two firefighters sustained minor injuries.

Northern Portugal: Largest Burned Area in Europe

In northern Portugal, around 1,200 firefighters battled a wildfire that destroyed at least 13,000 hectares of vegetation since Thursday. On Saturday, approximately 1,000 firefighters were deployed with 380 vehicles as well as eight aircraft and helicopters. The fire, which broke out on Thursday in the Vouzela region, spread over an area of 130 square kilometers according to the EU Earth observation program Copernicus. At least nine people were injured in the Portuguese blaze.

On Friday, the Portuguese authorities decided to activate the European Civil Protection Mechanism as well as bilateral agreements with Spain and Morocco for reinforcement. Spain, Italy, and Spain sent firefighters, vehicles, and firefighting aircraft to assist. On Saturday, Spanish soldiers were also deployed to support firefighting operations in Portugal. A heat warning was in effect for six regions in the center and south of the country, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees.

By Sunday, the situation was largely under control, as a civil protection spokesperson reported. In Portugal, more than 1,200 personnel are currently deployed, according to civil protection. Firefighters said they expected a "schwierigen Tag" on Sunday, particularly in view of a new heatwave gripping the country.

Costa Brava: Fire in Catalonia Under Control

Near the Spanish tourist region of Costa Brava, firefighters largely brought under control a wildfire that has so far devastated more than 2,200 hectares of vegetation in a nature reserve. The fire broke out early on Friday near the municipality of La Bisbal d'Empordà in the northeastern region of Catalonia. By Saturday morning, the flames had destroyed around 2,200 hectares of vegetation, according to the Catalan fire service.

Emergency personnel had fought "ohne Unterlass die ganze Nacht" to contain the blaze, the Spanish fire service said. Approximately 400 firefighters and ten firefighting aircraft were deployed against the Costa Brava fire. Residents of the Catalonia region were instructed not to enter the fire zone. Because the smoke could be toxic, authorities urged residents to keep windows closed.

Greece: Deaths in Fire Near Thessaloniki

In Greece, emergency personnel were battling a fire at a recycling plant and a textile factory near Thessaloniki, according to Greek media reports. In northern Greece, a fierce fire blazed in an industrial area near the popular tourist city of Thessaloniki. The wildfire near Thessaloniki engulfed a recycling plant. Dense smoke rose from the recycling plant and enveloped large parts of the city, whose greater area has more than 700,000 inhabitants.

The smell of burnt plastic was pervasive across Thessaloniki. As seen in footage from the broadcaster ERT, dense smoke rose from the recycling plant and shrouded large parts of Thessaloniki. West of the capital Athens, another major fire also broke out. For several Greek regions popular with tourists, the second-highest warning level for "sehr hoher" wildfire danger was in effect on Sunday due to high temperatures and strong winds. Affected areas included the greater Athens area and the island of Crete.

The flames advanced toward residential houses in the suburb of Oreokastro, and authorities ordered evacuations. The fire near Thessaloniki broke out in low vegetation from an unknown cause and, fanned by strong winds, spread to a pine forest and houses in the town of Lete. Residents of Lete were asked to evacuate via warning SMS on Wednesday. In northeastern Athens, in Oreokastro, and in Lete, authorities ordered evacuations. The prefecture instructed the mayors of neighboring municipalities to gather residents from scattered houses at the town hall so that they could be protected in an emergency. Emergency shelters were set up.

In the wildfire in Lete, which has 4,000 inhabitants, injuries and one fatality were reported. Two people died in a forest and bush fire approximately 20 kilometers northeast of the Greek port city of Thessaloniki. 151 patients from a care home were transferred to hospitals. According to the Greek fire service, 60 fires broke out nationwide within 24 hours over the weekend; most of them could be brought under control quickly.

International Aid and Impact

An elderly man said to be responsible for the fire near Thessaloniki was brought before an investigating judge on Sunday, according to judicial sources. According to the Greek civil protection, the wildfire danger in Greece is currently limited, partly because the country was not exposed to the heatwave that affected Austria, among others.

In Greece, Portugal, and Spain, emergency personnel battled the flames. In several Southern European countries, wildfires have continued to spread. Wildfires kept fire services in several Southern European countries busy over the weekend. Wildfires destroyed thousands of hectares of vegetation in several Southern European countries over the weekend. Several people were injured. Fire services in round-the-clock deployment. This news item was broadcast on 06.07.2026 on the Deutschlandfunk program.

Wildfire Tally in Europe

In Germany, too, the wildfire tally for 2025 rose significantly: in 2025, 2,626 hectares of forest burned in Germany, equivalent to about 3,676 football pitches. The number of wildfires rose to 1,175, more than doubling compared to the rainy previous year. Spain is particularly affected by the consequences of climate change according to the report; according to the European Forest Fire Information System, wildfires in Spain destroyed nearly 400,000 hectares of vegetation last year and killed eight people.

The consequences of the fires in the Pyrenees extend to top-level sport: today's stage passes through the affected region and will now take place without spectators and the advertising caravan following a decision by the prefecture. The wildfire in the Pyrenees is affecting the third stage of the Tour de France, planned for Monday. In Catalonia, warnings of "sehr hoher" wildfire danger were also in effect for parts of the islands of Crete, Chios, and Samos near the Turkish coast on Monday.