Wildfire

Wildfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in areas of combustible vegetation, such as forests, grasslands, or shrublands. Wildfires can be caused by natural events, like lightning, or human activity, and their behavior is influenced by fuels, topography, and weather. While some ecosystems depend on fire for regeneration, wildfires can threaten human communities, property, air quality, and soil and water resources. Climatic conditions, including drought and heat, can increase wildfire severity, and these conditions are being influenced by climate change.

Image: Binary world illustration
Economic losses from natural disasters fall to $100 bn in first half of 2026: Swiss ReNews

Economic losses from natural disasters fall to $100 bn in first half of 2026: Swiss Re

Zurich, Switzerland | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Credit: Swiss Re Economic losses from natural catastrophes worldwide are estimated to have reached $100 billion in the first…
SourceSourceAugust 11, 2026 Full article
Satellite Image: Danube river, Hungary
Europe braces for another summer heatwaveNews

Europe braces for another summer heatwave

Paris, France | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Much of Europe is bracing for yet another heatwave following periods of scorching temperatures that have driven rivers to…
SourceSourceAugust 10, 2026 Full article
Fire globe - abstract (s. climate, temperatures, forever chemicals, wildfires)
One woman confirmed dead in western Canada wildfireNews

One woman confirmed dead in western Canada wildfire

Montreal, Canada | AFP An 80-year-old woman died while leaving her home trying to escape a massive wildfire in Canada's British Columbia province, the Royal Canadian…
SourceSourceAugust 10, 2026 Full article
Image: Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, Ranupani, East Java, Indonesia
Indonesia closes national park as wildfire spreadsNews

Indonesia closes national park as wildfire spreads

Jakarta, Indonesia | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Indonesian authorities have closed access to a national park on Java Island as firefighters battle a wildfire raging there…
SourceSourceAugust 9, 2026 Full article
Image: A firefighting aircraft releasing water to combat a forest fire
Canada tries to adapt to a future of wildfiresNews

Canada tries to adapt to a future of wildfires

Montreal, Canada | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Faced with another summer when wildfires have scorched millions of hectares of land and blankets of smoke have disrupted…
SourceSourceAugust 8, 2026 Full article
Image: silhouette of trees on smoke covered forest (s. Arctic fires)
Human activity linked to more frequent Arctic firesScience

Human activity linked to more frequent Arctic fires

Climate remains a major driver of Arctic fire risk, but human activity also appears to play a significant role. A University of Zurich-led study found…
SourceSourceAugust 7, 2026 Full article
Image: wildfires in Canada
Climate change made Canadian wildfires twice as likely: studyNewsClimate

Climate change made Canadian wildfires twice as likely: study

Washington, United States | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Human-caused climate change made the extreme fire conditions behind this year's Canadian wildfires twice as likely to happen,…
SourceSourceAugust 6, 2026 Full article
Satellite Image: A Copernicus Sentinel-2 image acquired on 2 August 2026 shows the extensive burn scar left by the wildfire near Psatha and Porto Germeno in western Attica, Greece
Greeks survey damage left by fires near AthensNews

Greeks survey damage left by fires near Athens

Athens, Greece | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Greek officials and residents of a region west of the capital Athens on Wednesday began to assess the damage…
SourceSourceAugust 5, 2026 Full article
Image: Firefighters, Paris, wildfire in Gironde
France, Spain battle ‘monster’ wildfires with more heat on the wayNews

France, Spain battle ‘monster’ wildfires with more heat on the way

Bordeaux, France | AFP | Muser NewsDesk (Updated 27 July 2026 - 07:08) Firefighters battled massive blazes tearing through forests across France and Spain Monday, as…
SourceSourceJuly 27, 2026 Full article
Image: Fire danger forecast map July 2026
Deadly wildfires in Europe force thousands to fleeNews

Deadly wildfires in Europe force thousands to flee

Lège-Cap-Ferret, France | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Wildfires fanned by scorching temperatures and strong winds swept through parts of western Europe on Friday, triggering a state…
SourceSourceJuly 24, 2026 Full article
Fire globe - abstract (s. climate, temperatures, forever chemicals, wildfires)
France sees record area burned by wildfires by mid-July: monitorNews

France sees record area burned by wildfires by mid-July: monitor

Paris, France | AFP More than 42,000 hectares have burned in France by mid-July this year, surpassing the previous record set in 2022, according to the…
SourceSourceJuly 21, 2026 Full article
Image: fog in Toronto, Canada
Canada faces one of its most intense fire seasonsNews

Canada faces one of its most intense fire seasons

Montreal, Canada | AFP | Muser NewsDesk With nearly 1,000 active fires and an area as large as Belgium already burned, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney…
SourceSourceJuly 20, 2026 Full article
Image: A black and white warbler
Canadian wildfire smoke linked to changes in New York bird sightingsScience

Canadian wildfire smoke linked to changes in New York bird sightings

UB study compared air quality data with birdwatching reports, including during historic 2023 wildfire season Summary: Smoke drifting from Canadian wildfires may make many breeding…
SourceSourceJuly 17, 2026 Full article
Image: a foggy skyline with a tall building in the distance
Hazardous Canadian wildfire smoke choking millions in USNews

Hazardous Canadian wildfire smoke choking millions in US

New York, United States | AFP | Muser NewsDesk The Manhattan skyline was obscured by thick haze and Chicago closed its beaches Thursday as out-of-control Canadian…
SourceSourceJuly 17, 2026 Full article
Fire globe - abstract (s. climate, temperatures, forever chemicals, wildfires)
Planes fight fire in Fontainebleau forest near ParisNews

Planes fight fire in Fontainebleau forest near Paris

Le Vaudoué, France | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Firefighting aircraft battled to contain a wildfire raging in a forest south of Paris for a second day…
SourceSourceJuly 13, 2026 Full article
Fire globe - abstract (s. climate, temperatures, forever chemicals, wildfires)
Thousands flee raging wildfires in southern EuropeNews

Thousands flee raging wildfires in southern Europe

Ille-Sur-Têt, France | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Wildfires raged across southern Europe on Monday, forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes and prompting officials to…
SourceSourceJuly 6, 2026 Full article
Image: Wildfires in Acre state, in the Brazilian Amazon
Amazon dry season lengthens as drought risk growsClimate

Amazon dry season lengthens as drought risk grows

Recently published studies indicate an extension of the dry season from four to six months and an increase in the water deficit of more than…
SourceSourceJune 16, 2026 Full article
Satellite Images: Brazil, Spain and Svalbard Archipelago (s. a changing planet through the lens of satellites)
Image of the day: A changing planet through the lens of satellitesNews

Image of the day: A changing planet through the lens of satellites

Arctic glaciers are shrinking. Rivers in the Amazon have fallen to historic lows. Wildfires are producing smoke that can travel hundreds of kilometres beyond the…
Muser NewsDeskMuser NewsDeskJune 5, 2026 Full article
Image: Smoke from the Eaton Fire rises over Los Angeles, viewed from Koreatown in January 2025, wildfire
Wildfires caused huge losses in 2025 despite one of the lowest burn areas on recordClimate

Wildfires caused huge losses in 2025 despite one of the lowest burn areas on record

A review of global wildfire activity found severe human and economic losses in 2025 despite relatively low global burned area Summary: More than 90 people…
SourceSourceJune 1, 2026 Full article
Image: brown owl on brown grass during daytime
One third of animal habitats could face multiple climate extremes by 2085Science

One third of animal habitats could face multiple climate extremes by 2085

Projected exposure to heatwaves, wildfires, droughts and floods shows rising overlap across ecosystems, increasing risks for terrestrial biodiversity by late century Summary: Exposure to heatwaves,…
SourceSourceApril 27, 2026 Full article
Image: large stone structure sitting on top of a lush green hillside -Sounion, Greece
Greece’s ancient sites get climate-change checkupNews

Greece’s ancient sites get climate-change checkup

Athens, Greece | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Worsening wildfires, soaring heatwaves and rising water levels have prompted Greek officials to take a closer look at protecting…
SourceSourceApril 13, 2026 Full article
Image: Forest fires in Europe, Middle East and North Africa (2025)
Wildfires reached record levels in the EU in 2025News

Wildfires reached record levels in the EU in 2025

Fires started early in the year and intensified during summer heatwaves. More than 2,242,000 hectares of land were affected by wildfires across Europe, the Middle…
Muser NewsDeskMuser NewsDeskApril 3, 2026 Full article
Image: Earth, data visualisation shows smoke plumes across the Atlantic
Image of the day: Canadian wildfire smoke crossed the Atlantic in 2025News

Image of the day: Canadian wildfire smoke crossed the Atlantic in 2025

Every year on 23 March, World Meteorological Day marks the establishment of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and draws attention to the systems that monitor…
Muser NewsDeskMuser NewsDeskMarch 23, 2026 Full article
Satellite Image: Texas Panhandle, USA
Image of the day: Wildfires sweep across the Texas Panhandle in March 2026News

Image of the day: Wildfires sweep across the Texas Panhandle in March 2026

Strong winds, low humidity and dry grasslands created conditions for multiple wildfires across parts of the Texas Panhandle in March 2026, as a series of…
Muser NewsDeskMuser NewsDeskMarch 18, 2026 Full article