Credit ratings agency Morningstar DBRS estimated France's total wildfire losses could reach €10 billion to €15 billion, with insured losses running into several billion euros, potentially making this summer's fires the country's costliest wildfire event on record, though still well below the roughly $40 billion in insured losses generated by California's Palisades Fire in January 2025. The season has renewed scrutiny of Europe's "protection gap," the difference between total disaster losses and the share covered by insurance. Spain's 2025 wildfires caused nearly €5 billion in damage, of which less than €1 billion was insured, according to Zurich-based insurance broker Marsh. Roughly 90% of European wildfires are started by human activity, such as campfires or discarded cigarettes, according to EU data. Despite the reinforcements, the EU's role in wildfire response remains structurally limited: responsibility for firefighting rests with individual national governments, with Brussels only coordinating additional pooled resources when a country formally requests help.