In 2023, the region of Thrace in Greece experienced the largest forest fire ever recorded in Europe. The conflagration killed at least 18 people and ravaged more than 170,000 hectares of land, including several nature reserves that are crucial for Europe’s raptor populations. Among the most affected areas was the renowned Dadia Forest National Park, a critically important haven for the European Black Vulture and other rare species that has been under protection since 1980. More than half the park’s expanse, including most of its key vulture habitat, suffered catastrophic burning that went far beyond the ecosystem’s capacity for natural regeneration, disrupting the ecological balance of the entire region.