Red Cross wildfire response in Europe

In mid‑July 2026 the Spanish Red Cross mobilised roughly a hundred volunteers and thirty vehicles to combat several wildfires in Catalonia, establishing a command centre in Bisbal d’Empordà and operating emergency shelters for hundreds of displaced residents.

Two weeks later, the Greek Red Cross deployed multi‑layered volunteer teams—including medical staff, rescue vehicles and mobile health units—to multiple fire fronts across Greece. The Greek effort focused on first‑aid, health care, evacuation support, and care for domestic animals, while also urging public assistance for food and medical supplies.

By early August, Greek Red Cross teams continued operating on major fire fronts such as Porto Germeño, Nerantziés, Domvraina, Xironomi and Kompoti, providing round‑the‑clock first aid, health supplies and evacuation assistance, and reiterating calls for community support. The volunteers also tended to domestic animals and warned residents not to leave pets or livestock in fire‑prone zones.

On 5 August, volunteers rescued dozens of animals in western Attica, including a turtle found alive in ash, which was given water, food and relocated to safety. This operation underscored the Red Cross’s ongoing animal‑rescue component of the wildfire response.

Together, the snapshots illustrate a coordinated pattern of Red Cross volunteer deployments across Mediterranean Europe, shifting from logistical and shelter operations in Spain to sustained medical and animal‑care assistance in Greece as the wildfire season progressed.