MADRID, 22nd July, 2022 (WAM) -- Spanish media reported on Friday that the country is having the worst year for forest fires since records began, as much of southern Europe remained in the grip of a heat wave, German press agency (dpa) reported.

In the first seven months of this year, flames destroyed more than 197,000 hectares of forest, Spanish state TV reported, citing the European Earth Observation Programme Copernicus.

This is already more than in the entire previous record year 2012, when forest fires destroyed 189,376 hectares in Spain.

According to these figures, Spain is the country worst affected by forest fires so far this year among the European countries covered by the Copernicus Programme, ahead of Romania with just under 150,000 hectares, Portugal with some 46,000, France with just under 40,000, Croatia with about 31,000 and Italy with some 25,000 hectares.