A report released today by the European Commission reveals that in 2024, a total of 147,461 hectares were burned due to 735 fires, marking an increase compared to the last six years, though significantly below the extreme levels observed in 2017.
“Until September, it had been a relatively calm year, but about 90% of the annual [fire] incidents occurred in that month,” the report notes, highlighting that the largest areas were burned in September 2024, with 35,000 hectares affected in Castro Daire and 20,000 hectares in Albergaria-a-Velha.
Of the total fires in the past year, just over 7% took place in conifer forests, 11% in agricultural land, 10% in broadleaf forests, and 28% in “other natural areas.” The highest percentage of fires, 34%, occurred in “transitional areas,” according to the report.
The European Commission also noted that in Ukraine, still a candidate for European Union membership, most of the fires in 2024 were concentrated along the frontline of the conflict between Ukrainian and Russian forces. As a result, nearly all the fires originated from the conflict that began over three years ago.
