Firefighters race to extinguish blazes across EU as fire weather breaks records

European Forest Fire Information Service figures show conditions in EU 43% more severe than for same period in last 20 years

Fire weather in the EU has broken records for severity for this time of year, new data shows, as firefighters race to extinguish blazes across the Mediterranean.

Inflamed by carbon pollution, the hot, dry and windy weather across the EU since the start of the year has been 43% more severe than the end-of-July average over the last two decades, data from the European Forest Fire Information Service (Effis) shows.