Southern Europe is once again in the grip of extreme summer heat. Soaring temperatures and bone-dry land have fuelled widespread wildfires, with the Iberian Peninsula among the regions hardest hit. This image from Copernicus Sentinel-3, captured on 17 August 2025, is a wide view of France, Spain and Portugal and is dominated by smoke billowing from fires in the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula.
Thick plumes of smoke can be seen drifting northward and eastward under prevailing winds, merging with cloud systems over the Atlantic and blanketing large portions of the Bay of Biscay. Thick plumes of smoke can be seen drifting northward and eastward under prevailing winds, merging with cloud systems over the Atlantic and blanketing large portions of the Bay of Biscay. Some of this northbound smoke is also being blown back over Spain’s Mediterranean coast.
Read full story: Iberian wildfires seen from space