Interactive map reveals Europe’s wildfires – is your holiday at risk?

With wildfires spreading across Europe, efforts are underway to evacuate thousands of British holidaymakers affected by the infernos. Flights are scheduled to bring back stranded UK tourists from the Greek island of Rhodes, and evacuation orders have been issued for parts of Corfu. Southern Italy is also facing wildfire challenges, while areas in Spain, Portugal, Turkey, and Cyprus are at risk of potential fires in the coming days. The extreme heat in the region has raised concerns that more British holidaymakers may face disruptions to their summer getaways due to the wildfires. 

Is your holiday at risk? Copernicus, Europe’s satellite program, provides a map and ‘fire danger forecast’ for wildfires using data from the Sentinel-3 mission. Spain, Italy, Greece, and Turkey face ‘extreme’ wildfire forecasts this week. Other countries also have wildfire risks. The map color-codes risk levels from green (very low) to dark brown (extreme). 

To be forecast as extreme, the FWI rating must be greater than 50. Parts of Spain, Sicily, Sardinia, and Rhodes face this extreme classification due to the Cerberus heatwave, which brought record-breaking temperatures across Europe. While Spain and France will see some relief from the heat, Italy and the Balkans may experience even higher temperatures with the upcoming Charon heatwave, with Sardinia possibly reaching 47C (116F) and Rome 43C (109F). 

Holidaymakers on Rhodes and Corfu have described a ‘living nightmare’ of being woken by air raid sirens and forced to run into the sea as fires swept through forests and hills above their hotels. Up to 10,000 Britons are estimated to be on Rhodes, with repatriation flights to rescue holidaymakers now landing back in the UK. Greece has been melting in intense heat over the past month, with temperatures exceeding 40C and wildfires burning for almost a week in some parts of the country. 

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