Climate change's fingerprints are all over the extreme fire weather that sparked this week's devastating wildfires in Spain and France and has spiked Southern Europe's burning the past eight years,

Firefighters encountered a dangerous phenomenon never before recorded in France – a “fire cloud” that is more commonly seen in Australia during the most extreme bushfires.

A fresh spell of extreme heat, driven by climate change, is expected to intensify some of Europe's worst wildfires in decades, stretching firefighting resources.

Heavy rainfall followed by extreme heat created the perfect tinder, as flames spread through regions of France and Spain.