#wildfires
articles
Swiss Re Warns Europe's 'Chronic' Heat Risk Is Straining Economies and Insurers
Europe's fifth heatwave of the year has spurred Swiss Re to flag far-reaching consequences for health, infrastructure an...
Greece's Ageing Power Grid Triggered 75% of This Year's Wildfire Devastation
Preliminary fire service data shows sparks from outdated overhead cables are the dominant driver of catastrophic wildfir...
France's Wildfire Bill: 120,000 Hectares Burned and a Multi-Billion-Euro Tab for Taxpayers
Fighting the blazes and rebuilding will cost billions, straining local councils, insurers, and key industries like touri...
‘We Have Not Experienced Such a Climate in Our Lifetime’: Europe’s Summer of 2026 Breaks All Heat Records
Western Europe’s June–July period was the hottest ever recorded, fueled by persistent heatwaves that sparked drought, ma...
Wildfire costs are surging — but much of the damage in Europe isn’t insured
Europe's largest insurers say the region is unprepared for soaring wildfire costs, warning of a dangerous 'protection ga...
French Home Insurance Premiums Set to Climb as Climate Claims Mount
Macif’s chief says further increases are likely after a 13% rise this year, while the state-backed Cat Nat scheme exclud...
France to Cover Full Cost of Short-Time Work for Wildfire-Hit Firms
The French government will fully reimburse employers’ partial-activity costs for evacuated zones in Gironde and Landes u...
France Launches Reconstruction Mission After Historic Gironde Wildfires
A cross-ministry task force will oversee rebuilding and climate adaptation as the government pledges €300,000 in urgent ...
Southern Europe's Fire Emergency Becomes a Market Signal for Cooling and Reinsurance
Spain and France face unprecedented wildfires and evacuations as Sicily hits 48.4°C — and markets begin pricing extreme ...
Two Killed as Firefighting Helicopters Collide in Greece's Battle Against Wildfires
Greece is fighting hundreds of agro-forest fires as strong winds ground aerial crews; a midair helicopter collision has ...
Two Dead in Greek Helicopter Crash as Wildfires and Drought Grip Southern Europe
Two firefighting helicopter crew members died in a collision near Athens as wildfires burned across Greece, France and S...
Macron in Gironde as Record Fires Pass 160,000 Hectares: State Support Pledged
President Emmanuel Macron visited Gironde fire crews on 27 July, calling the blazes France's worst since World War II an...
Why Germany, a Large European Economy, Has Only One Water-Bombing Plane
As wildfires rage across southern Europe, Germany relies on a single fixed-wing water bomber. Ordnance-contaminated fore...
Europe’s Insurers Brace for Fundamental Shift in Catastrophe Risk as Wildfires Scorch Continent
From Spain to Scandinavia, Europe’s insurers are confronting a new normal of wildfire risk that is reshaping pricing, mo...
AXA Says French Wildfires Won’t Derail 2026 Profit Forecast as H1 Earnings Rise
French insurer AXA reports H1 operating profit up 2% to €4.5bn, lifts net income 6% to €4.2bn, and reaffirms 8% EPS grow...
Wildfires Displace 40,000 Campers in France; Campsites Eye August Reboot
More than 80 French campsites have been evacuated, with Gironde bearing the brunt. Industry leaders see early signs of r...
Maritime Pine Monoculture Faces Adaptation Pressure After Gironde Wildfires
Repeated wildfires are stirring criticism of the intensive monoculture of maritime pine in France's Landes forest, but i...
Climate Change Drives 20-Fold Increase in Spain Fire Risk, Study Says — Insurers on Alert
A World Weather Attribution study shows human-caused warming has made the extreme fire weather behind France and Spain’s...
Spain's Wildfire Crisis: Decades of Neglect Outweigh Firefighting Spend
As another fire season sparks calls for more aircraft, experts point to a prevention deficit: rural abandonment, fragmen...
Wildfires Halt Trains South of Bordeaux: SNCF Services Suspended Until Sunday, Full Return Days Away
French rail operator SNCF confirms no service to Gironde destinations through 2 August, warns recovery will take at leas...
Airbus Aims to Turn Military Transport Plane into Firefighting Tool as European Wildfires Spread
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury accelerates A400M conversion for firefighting as blazes force mass evacuations in France and ...
Drought Declared Across London and Half of England as Fire and Crop Risks Surge
The Environment Agency's official drought declaration reflects worst July on record, prompting hose pipe bans and urgent...
Government Pledges First Aid Payments to Wildfire-Hit French Businesses in August
Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou says 500 firms have already applied for partial activity support, with URSSAF socia...
Insurers Activate Wildfire Protocols as Fires Hit Madrid, Ávila and Toledo: Your Coverage Checklist
As wildfires sweep through central Spain, Mapfre, Mutua, Allianz and others are on the ground. Here's what your home, au...
France Records First-Ever Pyrocumulonimbus Cloud as Wildfires Shatter Records
The unprecedented fire cloud formed over France as the country endures its most destructive wildfire week in 20 years, p...
Macron Vows to Win 'Unprecedented' Wildfire Battle as Bordeaux Evacuations Top 250,000
French President Emmanuel Macron pledges support to fire crews battling the nation's worst fire crisis since WWII, with ...
French Government Opens Short-Time Work Scheme for Fire-Hit Businesses as Insurers Pledge Flexibility
More than 13,000 evacuated enterprises in Gironde, Landes and Var can now access France's partial unemployment programme...
Wildfires Rage Across France and Spain, Threatening Bordeaux Aerospace Hub
Massive wildfires in southwestern France and central Spain have forced over 325,000 people to evacuate. The French gover...
Wildfire Crowdfunding Campaign for French Firefighters Tops €43,000
A GoFundMe-style campaign launched by regional president Renaud Muselier has raised over €43,000 in three days to suppor...
Bordeaux Mayor Requests Government Crisis Cell as Wildfires Imperil 6,700 Businesses
Fire-driven evacuations and a devastated tourism season have left thousands of Gironde companies facing what officials c...