Forest fires in Europe, Middle East and North Africa 2023

This report contains the annual summary of the fire season of 2023 with official figures provided by 34 contributing countries for the number of fires, burnt areas and fire prevention efforts, and the analysis of fire danger and areas mapped in the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).

2023 was counted as another critical year in the European Union as regards area affected by wildfires, although at around 500 000 ha, the total damage was significantly less than that recorded in 2022. Around 41% of the total burnt area occurred within areas of special protection for biodiversity belonging to the Natura 2000 network, which is the EU's biodiversity reservoir.