{"id":2087839,"date":"2025-08-19T23:25:47","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T21:25:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/?p=2087839"},"modified":"2025-08-20T18:57:15","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T16:57:15","slug":"mega-fires-ravage-europe-over-last-week-with-hundreds-of-thousands-of-hectares-burned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/en\/portada-america\/2025-08-19\/mega-fires-ravage-europe-over-last-week-with-hundreds-of-thousands-of-hectares-burned\/","title":{"rendered":"Mega-fires ravage Europe over last week, with hundreds of thousands of hectares burned"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
International Desk (EFE).- The devastation caused by forest fires in Europe has been significant, with thousands of hectares burning since Aug. 11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spain<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to estimates collected by the European Forest Fire Information System of the Copernicus program for Earth observation and monitoring of the European Union (EFFIS), almost 380,000 hectares have burned in Spain in 2025, around 200,000 of which were lost in the last week alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Figures from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) only go up to Aug. 10 (138,000 hectares and 24 large fires of over 500 hectares). Still, the ferocity of the flames from fires declared after Aug. 11 has drastically increased these numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n
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Since Aug. 11, eight mega-fires of over 10,000 hectares have been declared, including one already considered the largest since 1968.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The aforementioned started in Molezuelas de la Carballeda, in the province of Zamora, and has since spread to Le\u00f3n. Two men who were helping to fight the flames died. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
By Aug. 13 the fire had affected 31,500 hectares, according to the regional government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Larouco fire in Ourense (northwest) has also exceeded 10,000 hectares, surpassing the Chandrexa de Queixa fire as the largest in Galicia’s history.<\/p>\n\n\n
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According to the latest figures from the regional authorities, the total area affected is 18,000 hectares, 500 more than in Chandrexa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Le\u00f3n (north-central Spain), Boca de Hu\u00e9rgano has already affected 15,300 hectares, a similar figure to that in Jarilla in western C\u00e1ceres, where the regional government estimates that 15,000 hectares have already burned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
O\u00edmbra (Ourense) has consumed 12,000 hectares according to official figures, though expert estimates based on satellite maps put the number at 20,500. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Cip\u00e9rez (Salamanca) has burned through about 10,500 hectares, and Porto de Sanabria (Zamora) has lost 10,300 hectares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The “unprecedented” fires detected in areas of the Iberian Peninsula have raised Spain’s total forest fire emissions for 2025 to the highest annual total in the 23-year Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) dataset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Portugal <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to data collected by EFFIS updated on Monday, 216,214 hectares have burned in Portugal in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Monday, over 4,000 firefighters continue to battle the flames in Portugal, supported by 1,300 ground vehicles and 13 aerial assets, according to the latest data provided by the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority. <\/p>\n\n\n
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On Tuesday, 1,261 firefighters were deployed to the largest fire that already begun to burn part of the Serra da Estrela Natural Park, Portugal’s largest natural park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turkey<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Monday morning, over 1,200 Turkish firefighters controlled a forest fire on the historic Gallipoli Peninsula, near the Dardanelles Strait in Turkey’s \u00c7anakkale province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fire, which was declared on Saturday afternoon, spread rapidly due to strong winds, extending over a wide area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Residents of six evacuated villages started returning home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the General Directorate of Forestry, between Jan. 1 and Aug. 17, a total of 5,231 fires were reported in Turkey, of which 2,239 occurred in wooded areas and 2,992 occurred outside of them. In total, they burned some 64,500 hectares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As of Aug. 14, 16 forest rangers had been killed while fighting fires since mid-July.<\/p>\n\n\n
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Although there are no official figures, the opposition has estimated that 80,000 hectares burned by late July, which surpasses the 15,000 hectares affected in 2023 and the 27,000 in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Greece<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to EFFIS, over 45,000 hectares have burned in Greece in the last two months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Yiannis Kefalogiannis, attributed the country’s difficult situation to dry conditions, high temperatures, and winds reaching level 9 on the Beaufort scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kefalogiannis recalled that, between Monday and Tuesday of last week, 150 fires were reported across the country and stated that there are “clear indications and even evidence” that some of these were deliberately lit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to WWF Greece, the total area burned by fires in Greece in the first 15 days of August has already exceeded the country’s 20-year average.<\/p>\n\n\n
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The most destructive blazes during this period were recorded in Chios (10,499 acres), Philippiada (6,515 acres), Zakynthos (5,671 acres), Achaia (4,158 acres), Keratea\u2013Palaia Fokaia (3,906 acres), and Helidoni in the Ilia prefecture (1,538 acres).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Albania<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Albania, as of Tuesday, the National Civil Emergency Operations Center (QKOEC) at AKMC reported today 5 fires, of which 3 are active, and 2 are under monitoring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some 49,000 hectares (1.7% of the country’s surface area) have burned since July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two people have died. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Broadcaster A2 CNN estimated that the economic damage exceeds 300 million euros.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The situation has improved since Thursday, thanks to cooler temperatures, milder winds, and the efforts of thousands of ground crews.<\/p>\n\n\n
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Macedonia and Montenegro<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So far this summer, fires in North Macedonia have burned some 50,000 hectares of mixed terrain, accounting for 2% of the country’s total area, according to official data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Aug. 12, one soldier died and another was injured while fighting the flames.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Local firefighters received aerial support from Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, as well as ground vehicles and personnel from Austria and Switzerland. The United Arab Emirates announced that it will send two Black Hawk helicopters to assist with the firefighting efforts. EFE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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