The fires have burned more than one million hectares of land in the European Union This year, according to EU data. This is the highest number than any year since the official recordings began in 2006.

A total of 1,028,000 hectares in the EU had been destroyed From fires to Tuesday – an area larger than Cyprus and higher than all of any year recorded, according to data from the European EU Forestry Information System, which were analyzed by Reuters.

The previous record was in 2017, when the burning area was about 998,000 hectares.

OR Spain and Portugal have been more affected and together represent about two -thirds of the burnt -out EU. Effis data showed a sharp increase in fires from August 5 to 19 – a period that coincided with a 16 -day heat wave on the Iberian island.

The heat wave ended last week, having triggered fires that killed at least eight people in two countries And they forced the railways and the roads to close.

However, 10 fires were still raging in the area of ​​Castilis and Leon, Spain, where about 700 people have been evacuated, while flames continue in the northern areas of Galicia and Astouria.

To Portugalthe lower temperatures brought some respite and a fire that broke out in the most was extinguished on Monday after 12 days. With more than 60,000 hectares of burnt, the most is the largest fire ever recorded in the country.

Climate change makes fires, heat waves and droughts more frequent and severe – although preventive measures, such as removing dry vegetation from Earth, have played an important role in limiting fires.

The fires in the EU have emitted 38 million tonnes of carbon dioxide this year So far, according to Effis. This is more than at the same time of any year recorded, setting 2025 on track to break the annual record of 41 million tonnes.