Photography

Photos: Wildfires Rage Across Southern Europe

A searing heat wave and strong winds have spawned destructive wildfires from Portugal to Turkey over the past two weeks. Thousands of firefighters and volunteers are battling the deadly blazes, as forecasters warn that the dangerous weather might last through Monday.

By Alan Taylor
Two people stand in front of a large oncoming wildfire.
Pedro Nunes / Reuters
People look on as a wildfire approaches in Trancoso, Portugal, on August 13, 2025.
A man tries to extinguish a wildfire with a tree branch.
Patricia De Melo Moreira / AFP / Getty
A man tries to extinguish a wildfire with a tree branch in Trancoso on August 12, 2025.
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Marcelo Del Pozo / Reuters
A person watches as a helicopter draws water at Atlanterra Beach on August 12, 2025, a day after many locals and tourists were evacuated from Tarifa, Spain, because of wildfires.
Several people use a large hose to extinguish a wildfire.
Miguel Riopa / AFP / Getty
Villagers work to extinguish a wildfire in San Cibrao das Viñas, outside Ourense, Spain, on August 12, 2025.
Flames cover a scorched forest floor.
Eduardo Sanz / Europa Press / Getty
Flames cover a scorched forest floor in Carcastillo, Spain, on August 10, 2025.
A small firefighting aircraft dumps water on a wildfire.
Cesar Manso / AFP / Getty
A firefighting aircraft dumps water on a wildfire in Puercas de Aliste, near Zamora, Spain, on August 12, 2025.
Rows of scorched trees
Europa Press / ABACA / Reuters
Scorched trees, seen after a fire passed through Villalís de la Valduerna, near León, Spain, on August 13, 2025
A close view of a firefighter working to extinguish a wildfire.
Abdul Saboor / Reuters
A firefighter works to extinguish a wildfire near Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, France, on August 7, 2025.
A wildfire burns at night, seen inside a dense copse of trees.
Abdul Saboor / Reuters
Trees burn during a wildfire near Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse on August 6, 2025.
A firefighting aircraft drops a plume of fire retardant.
Lionel Bonaventure / AFP / Getty
A firefighting aircraft drops fire retardant over a wildfire near Fontjoncouse, France, on August 6, 2025.
A person reacts, hands on their head, looking out toward a wildfire on a nearby hillside.
Andreas Alexopoulos / AP
A resident reacts as blazes burn on a hillside in the village of Tsoukalaiika near the city of Patras, Greece, on August 12, 2025.
Smoke from a wildfire covers the sky above a seaside village.
Andreas Alexopoulos / AP
Smoke from a wildfire covers the sky above the village of Kato Achaia, near Patras, on August 12, 2025.
A firefighting helicopter collects water from a narrow river.
Stevo Vasiljevic / Reuters
A firefighting helicopter collects water from the Morača river, in the Stara Zlatica suburbs of Podgorica, Montenegro, during a heat wave on August 11, 2025.
A satellite image shows smoke plumes from wildfires across part of a Greek island.
Maxar / DigitalGlobe / Getty
A satellite image shows extensive smoke plumes from wildfires across the northwest part of the Greek island of Chios, on August 13, 2025.
A man carries a sheep on a motorcycle away from a wildfire.
Thanassis Stavrakis / AP
A man carries a sheep on a motorcycle during a wildfire in Patras, Greece, on August 13, 2025.
Several people are seen in silhouette, looking toward a wildfire at night.
Aris Messinis / AFP / Getty
Residents look toward a wildfire in Palaia Fokaia, Greece, on August 8, 2025.
Many burned cars are seen at an impound lot.
Thanassis Stavrakis / AP
Burned cars are seen at an impound lot in Kato Achaia, near Patras, Greece, on August 13, 2025.
Several firefighters approach a wildfire, walking on a narrow residential road.
NurPhoto / NurPhoto / Getty
Firefighters approach a blaze in Anavyssos, Greece, on August 8, 2025.
A firefighting helicopter drops water over a burned area.
Aris Messinis / AFP / Getty
A firefighting helicopter drops water over a burned area following a wildfire in Palaia Fokaia, Greece, on August 9, 2025.
Embers fly from a burning tree.
Florion Goga / Reuters
Embers fly from a burning tree during a wildfire near Finiq, Albania, on August 12, 2025.
Several people gesture and speak as they walk in front of a distant wildfire.
Florion Goga / Reuters
People react as they evacuate from a wildfire in Delvinë, Albania, on August 12, 2025.
A horse, suffering from severe burn injuries, standing near a swing set.
Adnan Beci / AFP / Getty
A horse suffering from severe burn injuries caused by a wildfire stands near the town of Delvinë on August 13, 2025.
The moon is visible in the sky above a large wildfire, with a silhouetted firefighter below.
Florion Goga / Reuters
A firefighter battles a section of a wildfire in Delvinë on August 12, 2025.
The charred remains of a dining room
Berkman Ulutin / dia images / Getty
The charred remains of a dining room, seen inside a home hit by a passing wildfire on August 12, 2025, in Kepez, in the district of Çanakkale, Turkey
Flying embers fill the air, swirling around a firefighter spraying water from a hose.
Murat Sengul / Anadolu / Getty
Firefighting teams continue their efforts to extinguish a fire that broke out in the forest area of Turkey’s Kepez district on August 11, 2025.

About the Author

Alan Taylor is a senior editor at The Atlantic.
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