Emmanuel Macron describes unprecedented wildfires in France as the hardest since the Second World War.
French President Emmanuel Macron stated that the current wildfires in France are the hardest recorded since the Second World War, describing the situation as totally unprecedented. The blazes have scorched over 160,000 hectares, marking the largest fire season on record for the country. These extreme fires have generated rare phenomena such as 'pyrocumulonimbus' clouds, which are typically seen in North America and Australia but are uncommon in Europe. Experts suggest that Europe is entering a new era of extreme fire seasons driven by the climate crisis. The fires have forced the evacuation of over 300,000 people across France and Spain, which have both requested assistance from the European Union. While firefighters have stabilized some areas, the scale of the intensity of the fires makes complete suppression difficult. Scientists note that a succession of wet weather followed by brutal heat waves has turned dense vegetation into highly combustible fuel, leading to these erratic and unpredictable firestorms.