France's blazes are so powerful they created fire-generated thunderstorm
What's the story
Europe is witnessing a new era of mega wildfires, with blazes in southwestern France burning so intensely that they have created a fire-generated thunderstorm, experts say. This phenomenon, known as "pyrocumulonimbus," is sometimes seen in megafires in the US and Canada but may never have been recorded in France before. The fires have already scorched over 116,000 hectares (roughly 290,000 acres) of land in France alone.
Record-breaking fires
French President Macron declares wildfires 'totally unprecedented'
"We have entered an era of fires that cannot be extinguished," Víctor Resco de Dios, lecturer of forestry engineering and global change at the University of Lleida in Spain, said.
"These are fires that burn with the intensity of several atomic bombs."
French President Emmanuel Macron called the situation "totally unprecedented," adding that it is "the hardest we've ever recorded, the hardest since the Second World War."
Extreme weather
Climate change fueling extreme weather and intensifying fires
The extreme weather conditions, worsened by climate change, have been a major driver of these fires.
After an unusually wet winter that led to vegetation growth, Western Europe has been hit by brutal heat waves since May. This has turned dense vegetation into highly combustible fuel.
Scientists expect that as long as fossil fuel consumption continues to push up temperatures, such extreme fires will become more frequent and intense across Europe.
Uncommon occurrence
Phenomenon is recorded in Australia, Canada, US
The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts said as of now it is not certain if this was France's first pyrocumulonimbus.
"However, if confirmed, its development would highlight the exceptional intensity of the current fire and...extraordinary atmospheric conditions under which it is burning," said Francesca Di Giuseppe, fire forecast coordinator at the ECMWF.
The phenomenon is recorded in Australia, Canada, and the United States—the Los Angeles flames in 2025 resulted in a rare tornado—but it is not common in Europe.
Health and economic toll
Wildfires' impact on health and economy
The scale of the flames is also astonishing, according to experts.
"A synchronized, multinational wildfire crisis is rare in Europe," said Stefan Doerr, director of the Centre for Wildfire Research at Swansea University in Wales
France and Spain have both requested assistance from the European Union after over 300,000 people were evacuated across both countries.
The hazardous smoke-filled skies produced by these wildfires are harmful to health, with pollution from such fires causing over 100,000 deaths globally every year.