Study finds 2025 was costliest year on record for wildfires
A study found 2025 was the costliest year on record for wildfires, with $140 billion in losses and 90 deaths across the US, South Korea, and Europe, driven by extreme conditions and climate change. The Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles alone caused $40 billion in insured losses, while South Korea and Europe faced record-breaking outbreaks linked to heatwaves and droughts.
A new study revealed that 2025 was the costliest year on record for wildfires, with global insured losses reaching $140 billion and 90 fatalities. Wildfires accounted for 38% of all insured natural hazard losses worldwide, surpassing hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods combined, despite burning the second-lowest area since 2002. Researchers attributed the damage to fires occurring in densely populated areas with greater intensity, rather than a higher total burned area. The Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles in January 2025 were the single costliest event, fueled by extreme Santa Ana winds and dry vegetation. They burned over 20,000 hectares, killed 31 people, destroyed nearly 12,000 homes, and forced 150,000 evacuations. Smoke exposure affected over 10 million people, with pollution levels reaching nearly 20 times the WHO’s daily guideline for fine particulate matter. South Korea experienced its deadliest and largest wildfire outbreak in April 2025, with fires burning over 100,000 hectares, killing 32 people, and displacing tens of thousands. A study later found climate change made these conditions twice as likely. Europe also faced severe wildfires in Spain, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, and France during summer 2025, killing at least 28 people and forcing 120,000 evacuations. Six countries requested firefighting aid through the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism. Spain recorded its largest burned area since 2002, with over 350,000 hectares affected and eight deaths. Portugal’s largest wildfire on record was sparked by lightning, while Turkey saw rapid fires near Izmir displacing 50,000 people and another fire killing 10 firefighters. France experienced its largest fire since 1949, burning 17,000 hectares in 72 hours. The UK also saw its largest burned area and first megafire on Dava Moor in Scotland during a heatwave. Total fire-related carbon emissions in 2025 fell to 11 billion tonnes of CO2, the third-lowest since 2002. Researchers noted the shift in fire impacts, with fewer fires but greater destruction due to location, intensity, and exposure. Dr. Matthew Jones of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia, who led the study, emphasized the growing disconnect between total burned area and real-world devastation.
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