The first June heat is behind us. In some regions of the country, the temperature reached 30 degrees. This is not the end. Everything seems to indicate that around Sunday and Monday the biggest, so far will come this year. It is possible that mercury bars will soar up to 34-35 degrees C. At the beginning of a long weekend, such temperatures and higher showed indications in southern Europe. In Spain, 40 degrees C.
This is the time when the astronomical and calendar summer begins, and the children will start their holidays and the holiday season will start. Unfortunately, climate change is increasingly accompanied by extreme and very dangerous phenomena. In June in previous years it was loud about the first dangerous cases of fires that broke many holiday plans and the trips themselves. In 2024, on the day of the start of the calendar summer in Business Insider, we described how firefighters fought 70 forests in Greece. Two years ago it was loud about the evacuation of tourists from the Greek island of Rhodes. Can we expect a replay in a moment?
During the holiday season, in recent years, at least fear, traveling to Madeira, Croatia, Italy or Spain, ate. This year, these problems will probably come back.
-In the winter and spring season there were without major fires in resorts. These Most often they appear in southern Europewhere the climate promotes high temperatures and drought – comments Karolina Walczowska from the Onet Travel portal in an interview with Business Insider.
It points to some particularly endangered regions. – Mainly in Sicily in Italy, in the southern islands of Greece (Kos, Chios, Crete), as well as in Peloponnese and in the Athens region. It is there that the risk of fires is the highest, especially in the summer months – he emphasizes.
Fire threat in Europe on maps
Similar conclusions come from the analysis of the latest EFFiS maps, i.e. the European Forest Fire Information System created by the European Commission. Below in the graphics we show the fire risk forecast for the first day of the calendar summer. They are striking Dark red spots in a large part of Spain, in several regions of Italy, Western Turkey and Greek islands.
Effis fire hazard forecast for June 21, 2025.
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Effis
Data from the above map are based on current weather data, such as: air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, amount of rainfall, etc.
Fire threat will grow overnight. Just compare the above map with the one that forecasts the situation a week later (maximum range of Effis forecasts). As at June 28, 2025, the area of south-eastern Greece is even black. The territory threatened with fires in Spain and Italy is significantly expanding. It is also dangerous in the Balkans.
Effis fire hazard forecast for June 28, 2025.
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Effis
There are more fires than in the past
Although so far the topic of fires was not very media, the European Effis system shows that for less than six months of this year The number of all recorded events is clearly higher than the average of 2006-2024. It bodes badly for the next months.
Cumulative number of fires per year. Data from 2025 in red compared to the average from the summer of 2006-2024 (blue)
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Effis
When is the intensification of fires in Europe the greatest? This time is coming. Historical maxima are listed between July 22 and August 12. We are currently heading towards the top, which is well shown by the chart below.
Intensification of fire hazard. In red, statistics from 2025 on the background of the average from 1980-2024 (blue)
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Effis
Tourists must prepare that it will be worse with each subsequent week. And what does it look like in individual countries? This year, in terms of the number of forest fires, Romania is definitely the lead in statistics. France, Italy and Spain are still. Historically recorded levels are clearly exceeded in the first two.
There have been the most fires in terms of average in the last several years in Italy. They are still with similar results: Portugal and Spain.
Number of fires in European countries. In red, statistics from 2025 on the background of a long -term medium (blue). Highlighted countries, which are often the target of tourist trips
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Effis
Throughout last year, 383 forest fires were recorded in Italy, which covered a total of over 40,000. ha In Spain, flames covered a total of over 42,000 ha (219 fires), in Greece less than 42 thousand (86 fires), in Portugal over 142 thousand ha (182 fires), and Croatia – 16 thousand ha (24 fires).
Fires in Europe. Billions go with smoke
According to the European Commission data, about 500,000 are burning in the EU. ha forests, which is associated with economic losses of the order of EUR 2 billion. Over the past 40 years, extreme weather phenomena – including fires – have made the EU countries go with smoke almost EUR 500 billion.
Bloomberg, summarizing last year forest fires only in Europecalculated that they consumed up to EUR 4.1 billion. In this way, 400,000 disappeared ha forests. Greece (EUR 1.66 billion) adopted the largest financial blow.
In the countries of southern Europe (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece) GDP decrease from fires is estimated at about 0.1-10.2 percent.
According to the “Financial Times”, expenses on the effects of natural disasters in the EU have increased from around 18 billion a year ago to EUR 44.5 billion in the last 3 years. Fires are a key part of this sum.
Interestingly, currently only around 25 percent the losses are insured.
Vacation and fire. How to protect yourself?
Fires are more and more often the bane of tourists. Stress is one thing. This is often the need to cancel the awaited holidays, shortening them and financial losses.
– In the previous year I talked to people who were evacuated from the hotel on the island of Kos. They reported that they first listened to the orders of the service and employees of the facility. This is a key in an emergency, and then they contacted representatives of travel agencies who helped them organize further steps – comments Karolina Walczowska. You can read more about this in the text: “A nightmarish night of Poles in Greece. They showed photos from evacuation.”
– Before each vacation, it is definitely worth buying the appropriate tourist insurance. In the case of these directions, attention should be paid to the conditions of the policy, so that in the case of a fire a tourist receives medical assistance, the cost of evacuation and expenses for additional accommodation or lost luggage are covered – he suggests.
The scope of protection depends on the policy, so it is worth reviewing it carefully and paying attention to whether it includes risks associated with natural disasters, evacuation and interruption of travel.
Often A trip with a travel agency can act as an additional “fuse” in crisis situations. – Offices often have their own civil liability insurance and cooperate with local services, which allows efficient organization of evacuation and support of tourists in crisis situations. In addition, office representatives help coordinate actions, which is a great help in stressful moments. However, the travel agency will not replace its own policy. It's best to have both – sums up the editor of Onet.
Author: Damian Słomski, Business Insider Polska journalist
