ADVERTISEMENT 2024 was Europe's hottest year since records began in 1940. Hotter and drier conditions, combined with more frequent droughts and heatwaves, are creating highly flammable landscapes, particularly in southern and central Europe, according to the European Environment Agency. Portugal recorded the largest burned area in the EU in 2024, with nearly 450 km2 of land destroyed. Fires occurred early in the wildfire season on the island of Madeira , and later around mid-September on the