Increase in burnt areas compared to 2008-20 average comes to 500%

Although the number of forest fires in 2021 in Greece increased by 43% compared to the average of the period 2008-20, the degree of increase of the total area burnt was far higher – about 500% – compared to the corresponding average of the same period, according to data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS – effis.jrc.ec.europa.eu).

Based on this data, Greece ranks first among the 15 Mediterranean countries that were examined.

In absolute numbers, by noon yesterday, 66 large forest fires had been recorded in Greece, which burned a total area equal to 126,404 hectares.

This means that the average burned area per forest fire in Greece amounts to about 1,900 hectares for 2021 (until August 20), which ranks Greece first in the Mediterranean, with a very significant margin even from second-placed Turkey.