Madrid, 15th July, 2022 (WAM) — A wave of forest fires that has gripped Portugal for the past week continued on Friday with 13 large and dozens of smaller blazes, according to civilian defence authorities.
The National Conservation Agency (ICNF) said the flames destroyed more than 25,000 hectares in just one week, the equivalent of some 35,000 football fields.
The amount of earth scorched by fires so far this year is much higher than in previous years, dpa news agency reported.
So far, 38,600 hectares had been destroyed by 15th July, compared to a 10-year average of just over 20,000 hectares by the same date. In the whole of 2021, an area of 28,415 hectares was destroyed.
The series of fires, which started last Saturday, is being exacerbated by a drought and sweltering heat that has been going on for many months.