2025 Portugal wildfires
The 2025 Portugal wildfires were a series of more than 33 significant wildfires that required a sustained or large response, burning more than 1075 square miles and involving more than 13,385 responders. The fires were caused by dry conditions, excessive heat, dry lightning, strong wind gusts, and arson and resulted in the deaths of at least 4 people. Researchers have found that recent wildfires in Portugal "have long-term ecological consequences, threatening biodiversity, increasing soil erosion and hindering ecosystem recovery" and have also increased hospitalizations, mortality rates, and have presented a danger to public health.
| 2025 Portugal wildfires | |
|---|---|
This image, acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellites on 29 July, shows the large smoke cloud generated by the wildfires in the Arouca area, along with a second plume of smoke rising from the Ponte de Barca wildfires | |
| Location | Central and Northern Portugal |
| Statistics | |
| Total area | 278,438 hectares (1075.05 square miles) |
| Impacts | |
| Deaths | 4 |
| Ignition | |
| Cause | Exceptionally dry conditions, excessive heat, dry lightning, strong wind gusts, arson |