Forest fires hit vast area in Portugal

Over 73,000 hectares of forest, an area nine times the size of Portuguese capital Lisbon, have been destroyed during the first eight months of this year, said an official report released on Tuesday. The report, conducted by the country's Institute for Conservation of Nature and Forests, showed that between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31 this year 73,055 hectares of forest burned, up by 81 percent from the 40,146 hectares that were destroyed in the same period of last year. Meanwhile, a total of 16,168 forest fires were recorded in the first eight months this year, 1,218 more than in the same period last year. In August alone, there were 2,764 forest fires, in which 5,215 hectares burned. One giant blaze at Tavira, Algarve, a southern region of Portugal, which broke out on July 18, ravaged 21,437 hectares of forest -- some 29 percent of the total area destroyed. The report noted that drought in spring contributed to the increase in the number of forest fires.