Greenland has recently been hit by fires in vegetation, a rare phenomenon for this time of the year which could be explained by global warming, said today an official of the Greenland Institute of Nature.
It is "rare that such fires have erupted as early as June and it is reasonable to think that the general climate changes, especially the overheating of the Arctic, as well as the existing El Niño phenomenon, are responsible for them," Karl Brix Zinglersen, head of the Department of Environment and Mineral Resources of the institute, told the French Agency.
In Greenland, an Arctic island whose minimal soils without ice are covered by the tundra, fires in vegetation are a new phenomenon, he explained.
Arctic Ablaze: Greenland’s Premier Fires Signal a Deeper Global Instability https://t.co/UUSu8bBURH— Policy Wire (@policy wire) June 18, 2026
"Researchers examined satellite images, and before 2008 they found no sign of fire in vegetation in Greenland," Zinglersen said.
"Then, the phenomenon accelerated and, for 2008–2020, 21 vegetation fires were recorded, almost all in July and August, in periods of warm and dry weather," he added.
"It is more rare that such fires already occur in June".
In western Greenland, where the fires have mostly erupted, it has recently had pleasant weather, with a few rainfall, suitable for outdoor activities.
On the other side of the coin, vegetation dries and becomes very easily flammable.
The firefighters of the municipality of Sermersock, which includes the capital Nuk and its large suburbs, published on Facebook advice to prevent fires, recommending the use of only designated sites for campfire or barbecue.
The fires in vegetation, which have recently occurred, have not caused injuries and have quickly been extinguished by direct intervention services.