Raging fires have devastated more than one million square hectares in the European Union in 2025, setting a record area since measurements began in 2006, according to AFP.
By lunchtime on Thursday, 1,015,731 hectares had been ravaged by fire, compared to 988,524 hectares of land during the whole of 2017. This is shown by figures from the European system for information on forest fires, Effis. Spain and Portugal are still fighting fires at the same time.
The worst affected is Spain, followed by Portugal, where almost 274,000 hectares have burned so far and then Romania with 126,000 hectares, and France with 35,600 hectares.
FOUR EU COUNTRIES HAVE BROKEN THEIR ANNUAL RECORD
Fire records have already been broken in Spain, Cyprus, Germany and Slovakia. In the worst affected country, Spain, the fires have claimed four lives, and ravaged over 400,000 hectares accounting for almost 40% of the areas burned this year in the EU.
The estimates only take into account fires that burned over 30 hectares.
Portugal, where three people have died in the fires, is the second most affected country, with almost 274,000 hectares burned.
