Some of the largest wildfires to sweep through Europe since World War II had an unusual spark: an exceptionally wet winter. That turbocharged vegetation growth, which then collided with some of the driest, hottest weather on record.
The result was a massive tinderbox.
It exploded in recent days as devastating wildfires ripped through regions of France and Spain, forcing more than 300,000 people to evacuate.
In southwestern France, in the region around the city of Bordeaux, more than 100,000 acres have burned. The fire has moved quickly through the region’s sprawling pine forests, forcing more than 220,000 residents and vacationers to evacuate at the height of the tourist season.
In Spain, the fires have destroyed more than 370,000 acres so far this year. Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the leader of Madrid’s local government, earlier this week described the Madrid wildfires as perhaps “the worst natural catastrophe in Spain’s history.”
