This summer's wildfires in Europe burned 660,000 hectares.

Omissions

• The precise figure depends on the reference date: the JRC/EFFIS cumulative total for the EU stood at 678,978 hectares on 23 September 2026 (one week after the session), which is marginally above the claimed 660,000 hectares; a week earlier the figure would have been slightly lower, so the claim is consistent.
• There is minor ambiguity in secondary reporting between the EU-only burnt area and the pan-European figure, but the EU-level primary data (JRC/EFFIS) is in the same order of magnitude as the claim.

Sources

• PrimaryEuropean Commission Joint Research Centre — Current wildfire situation in EuropeAs of 23 September 2026, the area affected by fires has reached 678 978 hectares. This is below the area recorded by the same date in 2025 (the worst year on record).
• PrimaryEFFIS (Copernicus Emergency Management Service) — Estimates for European UnionEFFIS country/aggregate burnt-area estimates for the European Union, with per-country 2026 values (e.g., FRA 97,310 ha in 2026; ESP 185,948 ha burnt as of early August 2026).
• SecondaryEUobserver — Europe's wildfire devastation could almost triple, new research findsWildfires have so far burned some 660,000 hectares of land ... So far, 550,000 hectares have burned across the EU.