Deadly wildfire summer stretches from Utah to British Columbia and across Europe

Two helicopter pilots died when their Sikorsky Skycrane crashed while fighting a wildfire in Utah on a Friday morning, according to the Sevier County Sheriff. The pilots worked for Helicopter Transport Services, a company contracted by the US Forest Service. Their deaths came during one of the most destructive wildfire weeks of the summer, with fires burning across the American West, Canada and Europe. In British Columbia, a fast-moving wildfire forced more than 20,000 people to evacuate communities along Okanagan Lake, prompting Premier David Eby's government to declare a state of emergency on Saturday. Near Spokane, Washington, fires that began about a week earlier destroyed hundreds of homes, and more than 1,500 firefighters remained deployed as hot, dry conditions returned. In Europe, hundreds of people were arrested in connection with fires that swept France, while parts of Scotland's Cairngorms had been burning for more than three weeks. The fires follow an unprecedented series of heatwaves that broke temperature records across central and eastern Europe, damaged crops and worsened droughts. The scale of the destruction has sharpened the political fight over climate policy, with London Mayor Sadiq Khan arguing that climate denial is not merely delusional but deadly.

Two pilots die in Utah crash as fires burn across the American West

Two helicopter pilots were killed when their aircraft crashed while fighting a wildfire in Utah. The Sikorsky Skycrane went down on a Friday morning in Sevier County, according to the county sheriff. The pilots worked for Helicopter Transport Services, a company contracted by the US Forest Service.

In Washington state, wildfires that began about a week earlier destroyed hundreds of homes in the Spokane area. More than 1,500 firefighters remained deployed there as hot and dry conditions returned, raising the risk of further spread. A suspect was arrested on arson charges in connection with one of the Spokane-area fires.

The two incidents underline the human cost of the American fire season. One took the lives of the pilots sent to fight the flames; the other left hundreds of families without homes and investigators pursuing a criminal case.

British Columbia declares emergency as 20,000 flee Okanagan Lake fire

A fast-moving wildfire along Okanagan Lake in western Canada destroyed homes and forced more than 20,000 people to flee their communities, prompting British Columbia to declare a state of emergency on Saturday.

The blaze tore through communities lining the lake, one of the province's most populated regions outside Vancouver. Evacuation orders covered a wide area as the fire advanced, with residents given little time to leave. Officials said homes had been lost, though the full extent of the damage was still being assessed.

The scale of the evacuation — more than 20,000 people displaced — made it one of the

Arson arrests in France and weeks of burning in Scotland mark Europe's fire season

Hundreds of people were arrested in connection with wildfires that swept through France, as the government sought to assign blame for the fires.

In England, a fire described as human-caused rather than a wildfire devastated heathland in Dunwich. Emergency services worked to protect homes and caravan parks, while farmers and wardens cut fire breaks to slow the spread.

Scotland faced one of its most persistent blazes. Parts of the Cairngorms had been burning for more than three weeks as of early August, leaving large areas of moorland scorched and forcing some residents to stay away from home when smoke approached.

The fires came amid extreme heat across the continent. Record-breaking temperatures in central and eastern Europe contributed to wildfires and droughts, while earlier summer heat damaged crops, sparked fires and contributed to increased deaths, according to an NPR opinion piece.

Record heatwaves sharpen the political fight over climate policy

The fires came at the end of a summer of unprecedented heatwaves across Europe and beyond, sharpening the political argument over climate policy. Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, argued that climate denial is not merely delusional but deadly, pointing to burning forests and parched cities as proof that green policies are essential. Experts echoed that view, citing record heatwaves, worsening droughts and deadly wildfires during the record-breaking summer as strengthening the case for net zero.

Technology is playing a growing role in the response. The Copernicus Browser satellite service introduced a wildfire visualization feature during the record season, helping detect and monitor fires. But the flames themselves still have to be put out by human firefighters on the ground.

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