French authorities have arrested nearly 400 people in connection with this summer’s devastating wildfires, further undercutting the legacy media narrative of climate change being chiefly responsible for the annual occurrences.
The French Ministry of the Interior told Le Figaro that it has arrested 375 people since the beginning of the summer in cases related to wildfires. Those arrested included 142 minors, the paper reported.
The European Forest Fire Information System, which uses satellite imagery to track wildfires that have burned 30 or more hectares of forest, said this week that 465,000 hectares have been destroyed in 1,433 fires across Europe this year.
According to the EFFIS, Spain has been the hardest hit so far, with 221,493 hectares burned in 2026, followed by France with 91,057, Italy with 70,130, Portugal with 45,614, Romania with 11,957, and Greece with 9,820.
While significant, this pales in comparison to last year, when over a million hectares were consumed in conflagration.
Nevertheless, the so-called wildfires have been repeatedly cited in legacy media outlets as evidence of man-made climate change. Such reporting often lacks information on the actual human factors driving the fires, namely accidents and arson.
Indeed, according to the French Interior Ministry, nine in ten wildfires in the country are suspected to have been started by humans, with around one-third of such cases involving arson.
France has not been the only European country to see large numbers of arrests in connection with the fires, with Greece’s To Vima newspaper reporting that between July 29 and August 2, a total of 33 people were arrested, with 91 per cent being for criminal negligence and 9 per cent being for intentional arson.
A further 22 fines totalling 70,138 euros ($80,725) were imposed for violations of fire regulations.
Greek officials have also previously admitted that most fires in the country are started by humans, with then-Climate Change Minister Vassilis Kikilias saying in 2023 that the majority of the 2023 wildfires “were caused by human hand”.
European governments have turned to creative means to combat arsonists during the wildfire season, including in Italy, where specialist police task forces have been equipped with drones to patrol high-risk areas for firebugs.