The EU registers a historical record of 660,000 hectares burned so far this year, with Spain in the lead

MADRID, 14 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) -

So far this year, 657,988 hectares have been burned due to forest fires in the EU countries, an absolute record since there are records despite the fact that we are still halfway through the fire season.

Spain leads the classification by country with 245,061 hectares devastated by fire, according to data compiled by the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).

Behind are Romania, with 150,528 hectares burned, and Portugal, with 75,277. France, which has been affected by serious fires in recent days, accounts for 61,289 hectares.

The almost 660,000 hectares devastated represent the highest figure since this type of data began to be recorded, in 2006, according to EFFIS, which highlights that this year there are not only important fires in the Mediterranean countries, but also in other latitudes more north that are usually not as affected, such as Slovenia, where the worst fires in generations have been reported.

"We are only halfway through the 2022 fire season. It is a record," said the EFFIS coordinator, Jesús San Miguel Ayanz, according to German public television ARD.

Drought and extremely high temperatures have affected the whole of Europe, greatly increasing the risk of forest fires. "The situation is very worrying and we are only halfway through the fire season," she said.