Data provided to Lusa by the National Republican Guard (GNR) indicates that from the beginning of the year until September 28, a total of 58 individuals were caught red-handed by the GNR for the crime of forest fire, 22 more than in the same period in 2024. This figure was surpassed in 2022 (72) and 2023 (63).
The GNR reports that 333 individuals have been arrested for forest fire crimes since 2020, with 52 arrests recorded both in 2020 and 2021.
This year, GNR identified 713 individuals for the same crime, an increase of 162 compared to 2024.
The years with the highest number of identified suspects were 2021 (857), 2022 (1103), and 2023 (970).
Regarding fire monitoring and detection, the security force drafted 3,115 infraction reports this year up to September 28, with 2,507 due to failure in fuel management (land clearing), 460 for misuse of fire, and 37 for restricted access violations.
Infractions due to land clearing failures increased by 8.9% compared to the same period last year, while those for misuse of fire dropped by 32%, and access restrictions doubled.
Although increasing this year, fines for lack of land clearing have been decreasing since 2020, when 4,737 reports were filed, dropping to 3,207 in 2022, 2,288 the following year, and 2,602 in 2023.
The GNR, via its Nature Protection and Environment Service (SEPNA), treats “environmental and animal protection” as a daily concern, using the SOS Environment and Territory Line (808 200 520), which is available around the clock for reporting infractions or clarifying doubts.
Lusa also requested data on arrests from the Judiciary Police but received no response.
This fire season, nearly 270,000 hectares have burned to date, marking the fourth worst year for burned area after 2017, 2003, and 2025.
This year’s fires also resulted in four deaths, including a firefighter, numerous injuries, as well as total or partial destruction of primary and secondary homes, and agricultural and livestock operations.
Portugal faced heatwaves between July and August, which facilitated rural fires, especially in the northern and central interior of the country, with 25 consecutive days of fires, including prolonged incidents like those in Piódão and Trancoso lasting 11 and eight days, respectively.
A total of 7,715 fires broke out this year, according to the Integrated Rural Fire Management System (SGIFR), which shows a decrease in the number of fires over recent years, although this year recorded the highest since 2022.
The regions most affected by fires this year are the Center, with 185,461 hectares of forest burned, and the North, with 70,690 hectares.
