Fires devour 104,000 hectares of forests in Portugal

Lisbon, Aug 25 (Prensa Latina) Forest fires have devoured 104,000 hectares of forests in Portugal this year, amid the worst drought and rise of temperatures in the last 500 years in Europe, specialized sources warned on Wednesday.

According to a report by the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests, the said damage to wooded areas is the largest in terms of surface area since 2017.

The worst fire occurred in the Serra de Estrela National Park, in central Portugal, where 25,000 hectares were destroyed by the flames, amid a strong heat wave, which has been plaguing a large part of Europe since May.

Meteorological institutions in the European Union (EU) consider that a large part of the nations of that bloc will be affected by the rise in temperatures and the lack of rains in the next two or three months.

Nearly half of all 27 EU member countries are already suffering the consequences of the drought, which has caused a drop in river levels and the consequent reduction in hydroelectric power production, as well as the loss of crops.

Unfavorable weather conditions are worsening in Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg and Romania.