Published by the European Commission’s European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), the report found that 158,000 hectares of forest and woodland in Italy have been claimed by wildfires in 2021.
It has been the worst year for fires in Italy since 2017, when 141,000 hectares were burnt, according to the report.
Most of the devastating and deadly wildfires that tore through southern Italy this summer were deliberately lit, Italian authorities confirmed last week.
Nearly 130 suspected arsonists have been reported and four have been arrested.
In addition, administrative offences totalling €530,000 ($865,392) have been filed in connection with the fires.
Most of the wildfires between June and August were started intentionally or through carelessness and fuelled by extreme heat and drought, according to authorities.
The fire brigades intervened tens of thousands of times to tackle the fires all over the country.
The southern regions of Calabria, Campania, Apulia, Sardinia and Sicily were particularly affected by fires.
In some cases, the fires also reached residential areas.
In Calabria, five people died in connection with the fires, according to media reports.
