Historic wildfires scorched huge areas of Spain and France, with one Spanish blaze burning an area about the size of New York City and a French fire generating a rare, towering fire cloud. A dangerous combination of lush winter growth, severe heat, drought, and strong winds helped turn the landscape into explosive fuel.

The vast blazes ripping through southwestern France burned so intensely they created a powerful, fire-generated thunderstorm. This rare phenomenon is sometimes seen in the kinds…

Wildfires are burning through the two countries at a record pace.

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