As of August 13, more than 660,000 hectares of land have been burned this year in Europe, the highest level since records began in 2006, according to data released by European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) on August 15. Spain, hit hardest by the wildfires among the European countries, has seen over 240,000 hectares of its land ravaged by forest fires. Recurring heat waves in Europe also cause water levels of rivers to continue to dwindle.