Forest fires have already consumed nearly 104,000 hectares this year in Portugal, according to the latest official estimate published on Wednesday. This country is hit by an exceptional drought.
This is the largest area since the deadly fires of 2017 which claimed a hundred victims and ravaged more than 537,000 hectares over the whole of the year, according to the latest report from the Institute for Conservation. of Nature and Forests (ICNF).
In its report, the public institute explains that, until August 15, Portugal had experienced “12% fewer fires but an area burned 30% higher” compared to the level recorded over the past ten years.
This year, the most important forest fire in the country was that of the natural park of Serra da Estrela, a mountainous region in the center of Portugal classified by Unesco. It alone consumed more than 25,000 hectares of vegetation in eleven days.
Lull
On the fire front, Portugal experienced a lull on Wednesday morning. Firefighters were still trying to put out the flames in the region of Vila Real, in the far north of the country, but the situation was developing favorably, according to the commander of civil protection Miguel Fonseca who is coordinating the rescue operations.
This fire ‘is almost under control’, he told local media. Portugal has been able to count since Monday on the support of two Greek Canadairs sent as part of the European solidarity mechanism.
The mobilization of these devices “puts European solidarity into action”, European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic said in a statement on Tuesday.
Thanks to a drop in temperatures over a large part of the territory, the Portuguese government has decided not to extend the state of alert, in force from Sunday to Tuesday evening, which provides for exceptional measures to deal with the increased risk of fire.
/ATS