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A firefighter works to extinguish the Highland Fire, a wind driven wildfire near Aguanga, California
Image: Mike Blake/REUTERSImage: Mike Blake/REUTERS

Wildfires

Wildfires devastate millions of hectares of forest every year. And, due to climate change, they are becoming more frequent and intense.

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All Content on this topic

With the identities of only five victims confirmed, relatives are being asked to supply DNA to help.

Hawaii officials struggle to identify fire victims

With the identities of only five victims confirmed, relatives are being asked to supply DNA to help.
CatastropheAugust 17, 202301:47 min
Fire damage is shown in the Wahikuli Terrace neighborhood in the fire ravaged town of Lahaina on the island of Maui in Hawaii

Hawaii defends lack of siren warnings during wildfire

Hawaii's emergency sirens, used for tsunamis, could have sent people toward the burning forests, an official said.
CatastropheAugust 17, 2023
A white goat nibbles on foliage in Santa Juana

Chile looks to goats for fire protection

As Chile recovers from historic wildfires, a couple hopes their goat fire brigade will help prevent future disasters.
Nature and EnvironmentAugust 16, 202303:08 min
Members of a search-and-rescue team walk along a street

Hawaii fires destruction complicates search for victims

Search crews are scouring the town of Lahaina, as survivors count themselves lucky to have escaped with their lives.
CatastropheAugust 16, 202301:31 min
USA Lahaina | Zerstörung nach Waldbränden auf Maui

Wildfires – Maui neighboorhoods unsafe to return to

Only a small part of the areas affected by wildfires on Maui has been cleared so far.
CatastropheAugust 15, 202302:22 min
Firefighters in a burning pine forest

France: Pyrenees wildfire contained but still dangerous

Over 2,000 residents and tourists were evacuated as the fire ravaged some 500 hectares in the Pyrenees-Orientales.
ClimateAugust 15, 2023
A burnt forest and resort seen from overhead

Is climate change affecting tourism in southern Europe?

Frequent heat waves, droughts and forest fires are ravaging Mediterranean countries, which will impact future tourism.
TravelAugust 15, 2023
The shells of burned buildings and a pool are left after wildfires driven by high winds burned across most of the town in Lahaina, Maui

Hawaii governor warns of much higher fire death toll

Search crews are moving street by street through some of the areas hardest hit by the blazes.
CatastropheAugust 15, 202302:07 min
Members of a search-and-rescue team walk along a street in Lahaina, Hawaii

Hawaii: Governor warns Maui wildfire death toll may double

The death toll from Maui wildfires could double or even triple in the next 10 days, Hawaii Governor Josh Green warned.
CatastropheAugust 15, 2023
A street für of charred vehicles is seen after wildfires on the island of Maui.

Hawaii wildfire death toll nears 100 as search continues

Authorities warn that the death toll is bound to rise, as the effort to find the dead is still in its early stages.
CatastropheAugust 14, 202302:03 min
A destroyed house is surrounded by debris and charred palm trees in the town of Lahaina on Hawaii's island of Maui.

Hawaii wildfire response under scrutiny

Hawaiian authorities are looking into the handling of the wildfires that ravaged the island of Maui.
CatastropheAugust 13, 202301:38 min
Members of a search-and-rescue team walk along a street,in Lahaina, Hawaii, following heavy damage caused by wildfire

Maui wildfires deadliest in modern US history

The blazes on the Hawaiian island of Maui have resulted in the deadliest US wildfires death toll of the past century
Nature and EnvironmentAugust 13, 2023
Wildfire wreckage in Lahaina, Maui

Hawaii Attorney General to probe Maui wildfire response

Officials said 80 people have died in wildfires on Hawaii's Maui island, the deadliest natural disaster in its history.
CatastropheAugust 12, 2023
Summer Gerlingpicks up her piggy bank found in the rubble of her home following the wildfire

What caused Hawaii's devastating wildfires?

Climate change, along with four incendiary factors, led to Maui being engulfed by flames earlier this week.
Nature and EnvironmentAugust 11, 2023
A view of burnt-out cars on a coastal street in Lahaina

Dozens dead in wildfires in Hawaii

The governor says the blazes are the worst natural disaster in the history of the US state.
CatastropheAugust 11, 202302:00 min
House and palm trees burning.

Hawaii wildfires: Raging inferno on Maui

A massive fire this week ripped through the popular tourist resort of Lahaina on the island of Maui, killing dozens.
CatastropheAugust 11, 202311 images
Wildfire wreckage in Lahaina, Hawaii

Hawaii: Maui fires wipe out historic town, death toll rises

The wildfires that engulfed Hawaii’s Maui island have decimated the historic town of Lahaina.
Nature and EnvironmentAugust 11, 2023
Fire engulfs a home and palm trees

Maui wildfires: 53 dead as Biden declares 'major disaster'

The death toll has climbed to 53 and thousands were evacuated, as fires rage on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
Nature and EnvironmentAugust 10, 2023
The Hawaiian island of Maui has been devastated by fires fanned by winds from a Pacific hurricane.

At least 36 dead as fires tear across Maui, Hawaii

The Hawaiian island of Maui has been devastated by fires fanned by winds from a Pacific hurricane.
CatastropheAugust 10, 202302:46 min
A firefighter battles a wildfire in Carrascal, Portugal

Wildfires rage as Iberian Peninsula temperatures soar

Firefighters in Portugal and Spain are battling wildfires as temperatures top 40 degrees Celsius in many areas.
ClimateAugust 9, 202301:47 min
A Canadair amphibious aircraft drops water over a wildfire in Reguengo in the south of Portugal on August 8, 2023.

Wildfires rage as Iberian Peninsula temperatures soar

Firefighters in Portugal and Spain are battling wildfires as temperatures top 40 degrees Celsius in many areas.
ClimateAugust 9, 202302:19 min
Two men watch wildfires near a field in Aljezur, Algarve, Portugal

Portugal: Over 1,000 evacuated as wildfire rages

The southern Portuguese regions of Algarve and Alentejo are particularly affected by the blazes.
CatastropheAugust 8, 2023
EU Emergency Response Coordination Centre in Brussels

Emergency services: How the EU's disaster response hub works

Deadly floods and wildfires are testing the EU's crisis response. How does the bloc's Civil Protection Mechanism work?
PoliticsAugust 7, 2023
A helicopter douses water on a forest fire near Portbou, Catalonia, Spain on August 5, 2023

Spain: Thousands left without power as Catalonia fire rages

Authorities started evacuating people from several Catalan villages as the forest fire spreads near the French border.
Nature and EnvironmentAugust 5, 2023
Tourists are evacuated from hotels during a wildfire on the Greek island of Rhodes on July 22, 2023.

Wildfires: How will the tourism industry cope?

The devastating fires in southern Europe are putting a huge economic strain on the local tourism industry.
BusinessAugust 2, 2023
Destroyed truck carriages are seen in a factory yard as a wildfire burns at the city of Volos

Greece fires under control, but danger remains

The wildfires in Greece that have been raging for almost two weeks are finally being brought under control.
CatastropheJuly 28, 2023
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the era of 'global boiling' has begun.

UN: July on course to be hottest month in human history

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the era of 'global boiling' has begun.
Nature and EnvironmentJuly 28, 202303:21 min
DW Podcast | Inside Europe | provisorisch f ROAD

Inside Europe - 27 July 2023

Spain’s election ends in deadlock - but will a fugitive separatist leader be the kingmaker? Devastating wildfires in Greece spark the country’s biggest ever evacuation. Can Turkey salvage the Ukrainian grain deal? Putting the father of modern genetics back on the map. And could lab-grown meat help save the climate
PoliticsJuly 27, 202355:01 min
smoldering tree trunk

Greece: Wildfires on Corfu put residents on high alert

DW speaks to residents on the Greek island of Corfu who are determined to protect their houses from the wildfires.
CatastropheJuly 26, 202302:10 min
Wildfire in Rhodes

Wildfires tear through Mediterranean tourist hot spots

Wildfires continue to rage throughout the Mediterranean from the Canary Islands to North Africa and Turkey.
CatastropheJuly 26, 2023
A man stands in front of the wreckage of a firefighting plane on the Greek island of Evia.

Raging wildfires in Greece turn deadly

On the island of Evia, a farmer was found dead and two pilots were killed when their water-dropping plane crashed.
CatastropheJuly 26, 202301:55 min
A man tries to extinguish a fire near the seaside resort of Lindos, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes.

Firefighters, locals battle Rhodes wildfires for 7th day

Firefighters on the Greek island are stretched to the limit, leaving many locals to battle the flames on their own.
CatastropheJuly 25, 202302:09 min
People walk next a mist machine to cool down, in Monastiraki district of Athens, on Thursday, July 20

Current heat almost impossible without climate change: study

The hot spells in parts of Europe and the US would not have occurred without human-made global warming, researchers say.
CatastropheJuly 25, 2023
A firefighting helicopter drops water as a wildfire burns near the village of Palia Perithia, on the Greek island of Corfu.

Wildfires force evacuation from Greek island of Corfu

Wildfires have forced the evacuation of nearly 2,500 people from a beach on the island of Corfu.
Nature and EnvironmentJuly 24, 202302:23 min
A firefighting helicopter makes a water drop as a wildfire burns near the village of Archangelos, on the island of Rhodes

Greece: Thousands evacuated from Corfu as wildfires rage

Authorities have evacuated some 2,500 people from the Greek island of Corfu as fires ravage the island.
CatastropheJuly 24, 2023
Waldbrand auf La Palma

Wildfires are on the rise in Spain due to heat and drought

Due to rising temperatures and drought, prevention teams in Spain are heading off fires in risky areas.
ClimateJuly 24, 202305:04 min
Greece | Evacuees sit inside a stadium following their evacuation during a forest fire on the island of Rhodes

Fires force mass evacuations on Greek island Rhodes

Almost 20,000 residents and tourists have been evacuated on the Greek island of Rhodes amid unprecedented wildfires.
ClimateJuly 23, 202302:10 min
Evacuees sit inside a stadium following their evacuation during a forest fire on the island of Rhodes

Rhodes fire triggers biggest evacuation in Greek history

Thousands of people have been moved to temporary shelters due to wildfire on the Greek holiday island of Rhodes.
CatastropheJuly 23, 2023
Tourists are being evacuated as wildfire burns near Lindos, on the island of Rhodes, Greece

Wildfires rage on Greek island of Rhodes

Almost two weeks of sizzling temperatures have forced closures of tourist attractions and evacuations of resorts.
CatastropheJuly 23, 202302:08 min
A firetruck, with one visible firefighter holding a water gun in hand, drive down a track out of the way of encroaching flames. Forest can be seen in the foreground, with a large orange hue from the flames in the background

Can wildfires be prevented?

As wildfires become more frequent, a German research group investigates how forests can recover.
ClimateJuly 22, 202302:37 min
Firefighters in Greece have been battling to get wildfires back under control after they rekindled.

Dangerous wildfires force renewed evacuation in Greece

Firefighters in Greece have been battling to get wildfires back under control after they rekindled.
CatastropheJuly 21, 202303:33 min
Frankreich Unruhen in Frankreich - Paris

Focus on Europe - Spotlight on People

Rising police brutality causes riots and unrest in France.
SocietyJuly 20, 202326:04 min
A firefighter spraying water in Greece amid raging wildfires

Southern Europe faces new heat wave as Greek fires burn on

Several European countries are sending firefighters and aircraft to Greece as wildfires there continue to rage.
CatastropheJuly 20, 2023
Global Us Brasilien Feuerwehr

Indigenous women fighting fires in the Amazon

The Apinajé people formed the Amazon's first all-women volunteer fire brigade.
SocietyJuly 20, 202305:20 min
Thousands of people have fled wildfires in Greece, while others fight to protect their property and animals.

Wildfires rage in Greece amid hot, dry weather

Thousands of people have fled their homes, while others fight to protect their property and animals.
CatastropheJuly 20, 202302:16 min
A firefighting helicopter dumps water in Mandra west of Athens

Extreme heat sparks health warnings as wildfires continue

Health authorities have issued warnings to keep cool after record heat was recorded in Europe, Asia and North America.
Nature and EnvironmentJuly 19, 2023
Firefighters try to extinguish a wildfire burning in Saronida, near Athens

Greece hit hard by wildfires

Emergency crews are battling the blazes while trying to keep residents and tourists at a safe distance.
CatastropheJuly 18, 202301:52 min
Woman with a fan

Coping with blazing heat in Europe

Europe is suffering from increasing heat waves. What can help people cope in the short and long term?
ClimateJuly 18, 20239 images
People walk down a street in Japan. They are being cooled down by a misting system

How cities can tackle deadly heat

Millions are experiencing deadly heat, and if emissions aren't cut that will only get worse. Some cities are adapting.
Nature and EnvironmentJuly 18, 2023
Firefighters try to extinguish a wildfire burning in Kouvaras, near Athens

Greek evacuations as southern Europe swelters

Wildfires are threatening homes around Kouvaras south of the capital Athens.
CatastropheJuly 17, 202301:48 min