Raging wildfires in Europe have Consumed the Largest Area of Land in Almost Two Decades
Europe Experiences Worst Wildfire Season in Decades
Europe is currently grappling with its most destructive wildfire season since 2006, according to estimates from the Copernicus space program. The continent's fields and forests have been primed to ignite due to unseasonable heat and dry conditions, leading to a surge in wildfire activity.
In Portugal, the wildfires have scorched an area of 2,162 square kilometers (835 square miles), making it the country's worst year since 2006. Four major blazes are still active, with one, in the Trancoso area, on track to be the largest wildfire ever recorded in the country. Another active fire is still spreading, with almost 1,500 firefighters currently deployed to stop it.
The wildfires in Portugal are a political sensitivity, especially post-2017, when more than 100 people died in the country's deadliest blazes. Critics have seized on Prime Minister Luis Montenegro's delay in activating the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, while far-right leader Andre Ventura has called for the resignation of Interior Minister Maria Lucia Amaral.
Meanwhile, in Spain, more than 31,000 people have been forced to evacuate due to wildfires, with 3,482 square kilometers (1,344 square miles) of land consumed by flames this year, the most since 2006. The Spanish authorities have arrested 31 people in relation to the causes of various fires, according to data from the Ministry of the Interior.
Planes and personnel are arriving from countries such as Finland and Slovakia to help fight the wildfires in Spain. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is scheduled to visit the provinces of Caceres and Zamora, where the emergency has triggered the largest wave of international firefighting assistance in Spain's history.
Cooler weather is forecast in Spain, breaking a 16-day heat wave that's likely the country's third-longest in more than three decades, according to government forecaster AEMET.
Research indicates that climate change is making Europe's summers hotter, drier, and more dangerous, with the continent warming faster than any other in the world. In the past two decades, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, and Greece have been the most affected EU countries in terms of burned area due to wildfires.
Deadly, wind-whipped blazes have occurred in countries such as Portugal, Spain, Greece, and Albania. The wildfires in Europe are being fueled by four major heat waves, dry conditions, and strong winds.
In neighboring Portugal, temperatures are also set to drop, but most of the north, center, and the Algarve region remain on the highest alert. Prime Minister Luis Montenegro of Portugal has pledged support for devastated regions but has yet to visit the hard-hit north.
Despite the challenges, Europe continues to battle the wildfires, with the hope that cooler weather and international assistance will help bring the situation under control.
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