World Wildlife Fund issues 'superfires' warning after Europe's killer heatwave

5th July 2019

[apss_share]

By Sky News

Sky News - A global conservation group has warned of faster-spreading "superfires" across Europe in the wake of heatwaves and droughts.

The longer periods of hot weather and reduced rainfall are seen by many as symptoms of climate change.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which issued the warning, has said the current approach to tackling wildfires in the continent will be "obsolete" in fighting a new kind of superfires.

European wildfires are most common in the Mediterranean, but recently traditionally wetter northern countries have also struggled with huge forest blazes.

An average of 300,000 hectares (740,000 acres) of forest burn every year in the continent, European data shows.

A report from WWF Spain has said the fires cost Europe an estimated €3bn (£2.7billion) annually.