Wildfires devastating richer areas but fewer hectares burned globally - study

A study found that “devastating” wildfires ripped across wealthier parts of the world in 2025 even as the global area burned fell to 335m hectares, the second-lowest since 2002. Catastrophic blazes struck California, Canada, Europe and South Korea; a Scottish “megafire” burned more than 100,000 hectares, the Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles were among the most destructive in US history, Spain and Portugal saw more than half a million hectares go up in flames, and South Korea experienced its biggest and deadliest season on record.

Fires made up more than 38% of insured losses from weather disasters last year, underlining the human and economic toll. “2025 shows that a ‘quiet’ fire year globally can still be devastating,” said Matthew Jones of the University of East Anglia. Researchers say changes in land use have reduced the total area available to burn, but global heating is creating drier, windier conditions that increase danger at the wildland-urban interface.

wildfires, global heating, area burned, insured losses, california, canada, south korea, scotland, spain, portugal