Wildfires devastate Italy, burn 70,000 hectares
According to a new report by WWF Italy, wildfires have already burned 70,000 hectares in Italy this year — a staggering 133% increase compared to the long-term average of the past two decades, Qazinform News Agency cites Anadolu Agency.
Burned areas equal about 100,000 football pitches.
According to the report, nearly one-third of fires occurred in protected areas.
WWF warns that extreme wildfires are becoming the “new normal”, driven by climate change and poor land management.
435,000 hectares have been burned across Europe so far in 2026, some 100,000 more than the same period in 2025.
In Spain, 219,000 hectares were destroyed, while 91,000 hectares were burned in France.
The fires claimed dozens of lives, over 300,000 people were displaced.
Edoardo Nevola, forestry manager at WWF Italy, stressed:
“We can no longer simply chase fires and prioritize suppression; the real challenge is to prevent fires from becoming uncontrollable by intervening before they develop.”
WWF outlined 10 urgent measures for authorities, including increasing prevention funding, strengthening agency coordination, improving risk monitoring, enhancing territorial surveillance and integrating wildfire prevention into climate adaptation policies.
It was earlier reported, since the start of this year, wildfires have destroyed a record 4,350 square kilometers of forest across EU member states, according to the EU’s specialized center, EFFIS.
