LISBON, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Seventy-two people were arrested for the crime of forest fire so far this year in Portugal, the highest number since 2017, the country's National Republican Guard (GNR) revealed on Saturday.
According to GNR data sent to Portuguese Lusa News Agency, this year's figure was a 38 percent increase compared to that in 2021 when 52 arrests were recorded.
Most of the arrests made until the end of summer this year took place in the districts of the central and northern regions of Portugal, with another 1,076 people being investigated for the crime of forest fire -- 219 more than in 2021.
The GNR noted that the most frequent causes of fires recorded this year were the misuse of fire, accounting for 29 percent of cases, followed by arson (19 percent), which included both willful action and negligence.
Rural fires consumed over 110,000 hectares of Portuguese territory this year, the highest figure since 2017, according to the Lusa News Agency.
