Rising flames: France and Spain are suffering their biggest wildfires on record

Some of the largest wildfires to sweep through Europe since World War II had an unusual spark: an exceptionally wet winter.

New data on deadly wildfires sweeping across Europe shows this year's blazes have burned more than 1 million acres so far this year—triple the recent historical average—and wildfires in the American Pacific Northwest are quickly approaching modern records.

At the same time, researchers published a separate study on Thursday — written and edited long before this week's fires began — that found the number of days that Southern Europe's weather reached extreme fire-prone levels has more than doubled compared to decades ago.

Over 200,000 people forced out of their homes in the Gironde and Landes departments in just a few days.