Data from the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) reveals that 67,130 hectares burned in Portugal this year, making this area the fifth highest of the decade. Despite representing a significant decrease, the number of rural fires increased almost 7%, with a total of 6,910 recorded occurrences, 434 more than the previous year.
The burned area saw a 73% drop compared to the previous year, which represents a substantial improvement in the destruction caused by fires. However, the increase in the number of occurrences shows that fires continued to be frequent, although smaller in scale.
The district of Vila Real was the most affected by the flames, concentrating a significant portion of the total area burned in the country. This data highlights the vulnerability of certain regions of Portuguese territory to rural fires.
The contrasting numbers between the reduction in burned area and the increase in the number of fires suggest that authorities acted more effectively in fighting the flames, preventing the spread of large fires, although the risk of ignitions remained high throughout the territory.
