A series of wildfires have swept through parts of Suffolk in England and regions of Greece amid ongoing drought conditions, causing widespread damage and prompting evacuations.

In Suffolk, the wildfire at Dunwich Heath, which has scorched an area equivalent to more than 210 football pitches, has begun to slow. Fire services have reduced their presence from 14 crews to eight after establishing additional fire breaks to prevent further spread. Despite this progress, crews are expected to remain on site for several more days to fully extinguish the blaze. Authorities evacuated hundreds of residents from nearby homes during the height of the fire, though officials now say there is no threat to the Sizewell B nuclear power plant located less than two miles away. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has reported significant damage to local wildlife habitats, with recovery estimated to take up to 25 years, according to Suffolk area manager Adam Rowlands.

The British Isles are currently affected by dry and hot weather, with half of England and all of Wales under drought conditions. Scotland has not been spared, with a separate wildfire in the Cairngorms region consuming a zone roughly the size of 3,500 football pitches over a two-week period, further illustrating the scale of wildfire threats across the UK.

Meanwhile, in Greece, intense wildfires worsened by strong winds have forced firefighters into a sustained battle to protect the coastal resort town of Porto Germeno, located along the Gulf of Corinth. Theodore Giannaros of the National Observatory of Athens reported that approximately 25 to 30 square miles have been affected by the flames. Fire services continue efforts to contain the blazes, aiming to safeguard residential areas and valued natural landscapes amidst the region’s ongoing heat and drought challenges.

These incidents underscore the increasing vulnerability of regions across Europe to wildfires amid shifting climate patterns and persistent dry spells. Authorities in both the UK and Greece remain vigilant as firefighting teams work to control the fires and mitigate their environmental and human impacts.