Fires consume thousands of hectares in southern Europe and in Portugal there is one death
The fire numbers
The Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF) estimates that, from January 1 to Friday, 6,118 rural fires occurred across the country, which consumed 38,198 hectares, of which 52% in forest stands, 36% in bush and 11% in the agricultural area.
On the 8th of July, the day on which Portugal went on alert due to the risk of rural fire, having passed on Monday for contingency with the aggravation of the danger, the ICNF indicated that since January 01st 12,473 hectares had been set off, which means that this week 25,725 hectares burned.
Comparing these data with the ICNF report of July 15, 2021, it was concluded that the burned area is the largest since 2017, when even the data were consumed by the 74,340 hectares after the Pedrógão Grande fire, and the second largest decade.
Compared to the same period in 2021, the area burned has more than tripled this year and the number of fires has increased by 43% (up 1.85).
The year 2017 would also be marked by a new great fire, for the time, in October, which would change the total area burned in the year to more than 500 thousand hectares.
The number of fires is also the highest since 2017. According to the report by the Agency for the Integrated Management of Rural Fires (AGIF), in 2021 there were 8,223 rural fires, resulting in 28,415 hectares of burned area.