More than 15,000 hectares burn in Portugal in just five days

More than 15,000 hectares of land have been destroyed by wildfires in Portugal over the past five days, with the country’s total burned area doubling between July 1 and 5 as an intense heatwave sharply increased the risk of rural fires.

Provisional figures from Portugal’s Integrated Rural Fire Management System (SGIFR) show that the 4,592 wildfires recorded so far this year have burned 30,155 hectares, with more than half of that total consumed between Wednesday and Sunday alone.

The data, compiled by the Agency for Integrated Rural Fire Management, shows the Central region has been the hardest hit, with 14,244 hectares burned. One of the largest fires, which broke out in the early hours of Thursday in Vouzela, in the district of Viseu, was only brought under control today.

Northern Portugal has recorded a further 11,834 hectares of burned land this year.

Compared with the same period in 2025, the total area destroyed by fire has almost quadrupled, making 2026 the worst year for burned areas since the killer fires of 2017, in which over 100 people lost their lives.

The number of wildfires has also risen sharply, increasing by around 70% compared with the same point last year and reaching its highest level since 2022.

According to the SGIFR, 56% of all burned areas occurred on days classified as having a high wildfire risk.

Portugal has been experiencing exceptionally high temperatures since last week, prompting the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) to place several districts under red weather warnings for extreme heat.

In response to the worsening conditions, the Portuguese government declared a nationwide state of alert on Friday, a measure that remains in force until 11:59pm tonight because of what it described as a “significant worsening” of the rural wildfire risk.

The latest figures underline the growing pressure on Portugal’s firefighting services as extreme heat and dry conditions continue to fuel fires across the country during what are only the opening weeks of the summer fire season.

source: LUSA

Natasha Donn

Journalist for the Portugal Resident.