Southern Europe is enduring a second punishing heatwave this summer, turning what should be idyllic holiday scenes into crisis zones.
Across Spain, France, Italy, Greece and the Balkans, soaring temperatures above 40°C have triggered widespread wildfires, forcing evacuations, closing popular trails and filling skies with thick smoke.
Firefighters are battling blazes from Madrid and Mount Vesuvius to the forests of Crete and the hills of Portugal, with tourist regions such as Sicily, Sardinia and the Greek islands of Rhodes and Chios also under threat.
Resorts along the Costa del Sol and parts of the French Riviera have seen closures as authorities move to protect residents and visitors alike.
Lives have already been lost. In Spain, a volunteer firefighter died in Castile and León, the third wildfire-related fatality this season. In Greece, fires near Patras have left dozens injured, while Albania, Turkey and other regions have also suffered fatalities and widespread destruction as flames have ripped through forests and residential areas.
The scale of devastation is stark. More than 500,000 hectares have been scorched across several countries in 2025, a figure more than double the 20-year average.
In Spain, France, Greece and Turkey alone, over 65,000 people have been evacuated. Meteorologists and climate scientists warn that conditions will remain extreme to very extreme in the weeks ahead, further straining firefighting resources and raising concerns for both local communities and visiting travellers.
Many of Europe’s most popular summer holiday destinations are now directly affected, with iconic islands, historic landmarks and national parks at risk.
Beaches that would normally be crowded with holidaymakers, from the Amalfi Coast to the Balearics, have instead been blanketed in smoke or closed as a precaution. The traditional image of the Mediterranean summer holiday is being challenged, with growing numbers of travellers looking north or considering cooler seasons instead.
The unfolding crisis underlines how unpredictable conditions have become across southern Europe, with entire regions shifting from holiday hotspots to danger zones in a matter of days.
