Brussels, 30/10/2020 (Agence Europe) – The year 2019 was the worst year for forest fires in recent history. In Europe, more than 400,000 hectares (ha) of natural areas burnt last year, according to the latest annual report on forest fires from the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, published on Friday 30 October. A record number of European protected areas in the Natura 2000 network were affected, with 159,585 ha burnt, particularly in Romania, where 73,444 ha of these areas of biodiversity importance were burnt. Unsurprisingly, the report concludes that climate change has continued to affect the duration and intensity of the fire hazard in Europe. Positive note: with only three deaths recorded, the year 2019 was one of the best in terms of accident prevention and loss of life. See report: https://bit.ly/3oFIgdU (DG)