The analysis, which draws on global disaster databases covering 1980 to 2023, shows that the frequency and scale of wildfire disasters are accelerating, driven by climate change, poor land management and growing human settlement in fire-prone areas.

Although fire is a natural ecological process, researchers found that rising temperatures and drier conditions have turned seasonal blazes into lethal, billion-dollar disasters. "We are seeing fires of unprecedented intensity, particularly in regions already vulnerable to extreme heat," the authors noted.

Escalating costs and fatalities
The study classified wildfire disasters as those resulting in at least 10 deaths or among the 200 largest wildfire-related economic losses relative to national GDP. Nearly half of these incidents occurred in the past decade alone, underscoring how climate change is creating increasingly dangerous fire weather.

Southern Europe was hit particularly hard this summer, with Spain and Portugal reporting record destruction. Mediterranean forests were among the most affected ecosystems, experiencing 6.7 times more wildfire disasters than expected based on population size. North America saw the largest absolute increase in economic losses, but Europe also endured multiple "billion-dollar events."

Call for stronger adaptation
The findings underline an urgent need for countries to shift from reactive responses to proactive fire management. The authors recommend scaling up prescribed burning to reduce fuel loads, improving evacuation systems, and designing fire-resistant communities where people can safely shelter in place.

The EU has pledged to expand firefighting capacities, including rapid deployment of emergency teams to high-risk areas. Yet campaigners and scientists argue that governments are still lagging behind on prevention strategies.

"Mitigation must also address the social dimension," the study stressed. "Vulnerable populations are disproportionately at risk of dying in wildfires, so evacuation planning and support systems are essential."

The research adds to mounting evidence that worsening fire seasons will continue to reshape landscapes and threaten communities unless adaptation and prevention measures keep pace with the scale of the crisis.