Soaring temperatures driven by the El Niño warm weather pattern have compounded the effects of climate change, sparking wildfires globally.
Blazes in Nevada have forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, as a firestorm threatened the city of Reno. Authorities in Indonesia, meanwhile, are racing to control wildfires that have dramatically worsened air-quality levels even before fire season typically peaks. And Europe — the world’s fastest-warming continent — has been beset by extreme weather that has caused widespread droughts and blazes, marking some of the region’s gravest natural disasters on record.
Authorities have scrambled to respond, but emergency services are struggling and analysts warn of long-term economic impacts. “The situation is extremely difficult,” Serbia’s interior minister said.