
10 days · 8 summary articles
Wildfires raged across Europe and the United States on Tuesday, with authorities in the Netherlands battling a blaze that expanded to 100 hectares in a nature reserve near Oostrum in Limburg province, close to the German border. The fire, which began Monday afternoon, remained uncontrolled as shifting winds fanned the flames, provincial authorities said. Around 300 emergency workers fought the fire overnight, and firefighting helicopters resumed operations Tuesday morning. A nearby campsite was evacuated, and train traffic in the area was suspended .
In the U.S., wildfires in Spokane, Washington, forced the evacuation of 65,000 people and destroyed up to 1,100 structures, according to officials, who called it the worst natural disaster in the city’s history. Firefighters made progress against several blazes Monday, but the fires were driven by drought, extreme heat, and strong winds. Authorities arrested a 37-year-old man suspected of setting one of the fires .
In Greece, firefighters continued battling a massive wildfire in western Attica overnight, focusing on containing flare-ups across a front that has already burned more than 130 square kilometers. Two helicopter crew members died in the effort .
In France, a megafire in Gironde was declared fixed but not extinguished, while in the Var region, firefighters maintained “extreme vigilance” to control limited reactivations of the Gros Bessillon fire, which could be stoked by gusty winds in the coming days .
In Norway, fire officials in Drammen provided new details on how a major blaze in Krokstadelva spread rapidly, with one brigade chief stating, “This is one we cannot recover from” .
Dutch authorities also reported a fire in the dunes of Overveen, which prompted a partial campsite evacuation, and another in Goedereede, Zuid-Holland, which was brought under control by 8:15 p.m. Monday .
European countries are facing a major drought, with dried-up rivers, water restrictions, and devastating forest fires following an unprecedented heat wave in June. Scientists from World Weather Attribution warned last month that human-fueled climate change has accelerated moisture loss from soil, lakes, and rivers, heightening the risk of extreme droughts .
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