Wildfires have sparked in other nations across the region as well, including in Italy, Albania, North Macedonia, and Turkey.
The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, which is managed by the European Union, recently labeled the Mediterranean region a “wildfire hotspot” due to its unprecedented levels of activity this summer, which Greek and European officials are blaming on the effects of climate change. Indeed, the climate crisis has dried out large parts of the Mediterranean. A study of drought conditions from 1998 to 2012 found that it was the worst to hit the region in at least 900 years, and the climate crisis played a role in driving its intensity. The fires fit a pattern of more large, destructive wildfires, including deadly Greek blazes in 2018.