Fires in Portugal up by 26.8 pct so far in 2022: INE

LISBON, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Portugal has recorded 10,439 fires so far in 2022, up by 26.8 percent compared to 2021, the National Institute of Statistics (INE) said on Friday.

The year of 2022 was "the fourth most severe year of the last decade (2013-2022), with almost twice the average area burned in the last five years (58,800 hectares)", announced the statistical agency.

On the other hand, INE points out that the number of fires was "about half of the average number of fires recorded in the last 20 years."

Currently, 25 Portuguese municipalities present a "maximum danger of rural fire," while another 60 municipalities are in "very high danger," according to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).