Wildfires create fire clouds in Europe - A2


Fires burn across France and Spain - 3rd August 2026

Fires are burning in France and Spain. 375,000 people had to leave their homes.

The weather in Europe's very hot. This is because of the climate crisis.

In France, wildfires burned 42,000 hectares. In Spain, 170,000 hectares burned. That's 6 times more than last year.

Humans cause 90 percent of wildfires. This year, the weather's making things worse.

Winter rain helped plants to grow. Then, spring was very dry. Dry plants help wildfires to burn.

Europe's getting hotter faster than other continents. It's 0.87 degrees hotter than before. This means more fires and floods.

The wildfires may take months to put out. They're very powerful. They caused the first fire clouds in France.

NASA calls fire clouds "fire-breathing dragons". They make winds stronger and produce lightning. This helps new fires to start.

Fires are moving towards Bordeaux. Firefighting planes are trying to stop them.

In Spain, fires are burning near Madrid. But firefighters hope to put them out.