The number of fires (so far) this year is the second lowest in the last decade – and the area burnt by rural fires is the third lowest since 2013, the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) has confirmed today. Between January 1 and September 30 (traditionally the end of the wildfire ‘danger season’), 7,191 rural fires broke out, resulting in 33,031 hectares (ha) of burnt area, including communities (18,888 ha), scrubland (12,006 ha) and agriculture (2,137 ha). “Comparing the figures for 2023 with the historical figures for the previous 10 years, it can be seen that there were 43% fewer rural fires and 65% less areas burnt than the annual average for the period”, says the provisional rural fires report.
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