Major fires in Europe have already set fire to some 660,000 hectares of land this year. This is a record since registration began in 2006, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). Spain, Romania and Portugal are particularly affected.
There, 249,000 hectares of forest (Spain), 151,000 (Romania) and 75,000 hectares of forest (Portugal) have burned down. Other regions also suffered greatly from forest fires, for example Slovenia experienced the worst forest fire in generations.
“Difficult situation”
“2022 has been a record year so far. Drought and extremely high temperatures have hit all of Europe. The situation is worrying – and we are only halfway through the fire season,” said EFFIS coordinator Jesus San-Miguel. This year, it was not only the Mediterranean countries that were affected, as is usually the case.
France: Forest fire flares up again
Forest fires are currently raging in the south of France and in the south-west of the country. In the Aveyron ward, a fire seemed almost out before it flared up again on Saturday afternoon. Since then, another 500 hectares of land have burned down and thousands of people have once again had to leave their homes. The fire broke out last Monday and 3,000 people were evacuated as a precaution. After the fire appeared to be under control, they returned to their homes.
Support from Lower Austria
In the southwest of France, the rain caused a short interruption on Sunday night. A fire has destroyed 7,400 hectares of land there since Tuesday. “It gives some breathing room, but it doesn’t mean the end of the battle,” said Arnaud Mendousse of the local fire brigade. Since Saturday, dozens of firefighters from Lower Austria have been deployed in the forest fires in the French region of Bordeaux.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
