Record heat wave drives wildfires and infrastructure failures across Europe

The current heat wave, described by officials as Europe's fifth of the 2026 summer, is lasting longer than the 2003 wave that killed tens of thousands across the continent, according to NPR. In France and Spain, some 92 million people are experiencing temperatures above 95°F in cities largely without air conditioning. France is experiencing what officials have called its driest year ever, with water restrictions in place across nearly 70% of the country.

Wildfires have broken out across multiple countries. In France, a new blaze overnight forced more than 500 people to evacuate the town of Luglon in the Landes region, CNN reported. A fire last month near Bordeaux displaced 250,000 people. Fires have also reached normally cooler northern France and Brittany. In Germany, the village of Gey in North Rhine-Westphalia — all 1,800 residents — was evacuated as a wildfire approached within 300 meters of homes; CNN noted that unexploded World War II munitions in the Hürtgen forest complicated firefighting efforts, with audible detonations forcing crews to withdraw. In Croatia, a fire near the coastal town of Omis hospitalized 14 people, seven of them in life-threatening condition, and forced more than 1,000 to flee, according to CNN. Albania reported 11 active fires, and more than 300 people were evacuated by sea in northern Greece.

In the United Kingdom, temperatures hit 100°F on Thursday in parts of southern England — the country's hottest day of the year. Wildfires in the West Midlands destroyed homes and were described by the region's chief fire officer as among "the most significant" incidents the service had ever handled, CNN reported. NPR noted that July was the UK's hottest month on record, and that the country's weather agency projects 2026 will be the hottest year on record. Drought has been declared in three-quarters of England and all of Wales; some water companies warned they could run out of water within six weeks.