Europe’s wildfires became so intense this summer they created their own storm, scientists find

Wildfires tore through Spain and France in July with such intensity that one blaze in southwestern France generated a pyrocumulonimbus – a towering storm cloud created by the fire’s own heat

Wildfires have burned record-breaking areas across Spain and France, with some of the most destructive fire events either country has experienced in decades.

Wildfires are proving to be the most destructive this year than any recorded before – especially in Europe. Those that hit Spain and France during the heatwaves of July 2026 have been ranked among the most catastrophic fire events either country has experienced in decades, according to data from the European Forest Fire Information System.

For example, a fire in the Ávila province of Spain was first picked up by NASA satellites on 22 July, and within two days it had merged with blazes in neighbouring provinces and burned through roughly 77,000 hectares – about the size of New York City.

Spanish officials say this fire alone burned around 50,000 hectares, which makes it the largest single wildfire the country has ever recorded. In this region, hundreds of homes were destroyed along with restaurants, campgrounds and marinas near the centre of the burn zone.

A fire that made its own weather

West of Bordeaux in southwestern France, another fire burned more than 42,000 hectares and devastated the village of Le Porge. But what was really unusual is that on 25 July, the fire got intense enough to produce something called a pyrocumulonimbus – basically a towering cloud that forms when

Original Record.

This archived record authored by ‘Lee Bell’ at ‘METEORED (Your Weather)’ was recovered from data set:

https://www.yourweather.co.uk/news/science/europe-s-wildfires-became-so-intense-they-created-their-own-storm-scientists-find.html