Spain at risk of deadly forest fires

The coming weeks could put Spain at risk of deadly forest fires, experts warn.

Upcoming weather conditions and increasingly dry soil could put Spain at risk of deadly forest fires like “catastrophic wave of fires of great magnitude” seen recently in Turkey, Greece, Italy and the Balkans.

The government is urging residents and holidaymakers to exercise “caution and care, since it is a time of high risk and extreme caution is required.”

So far this summer, 40,213.80 hectares of forest area have been affected, including both woody and herbaceous vegetation.

Big fires

Of the 13 large fires that have occurred to date, five of them were declared between the months of January and February, two in Almeria, in Berja and Olula de Castro; two in Cantabria in the municipalities of Udias and Cabuerniga; and one that affected areas of Navarra, Gipuzkoa and southern France. The largest in terms of burned area is that of Arico, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. that began on May 20 and burned around 3,000 hectares.

The other seven “big fires” occurred between July 12 and July 27, in Castilla-La Mancha, Andalucia and Catalonia. Two of them in Ciudad Real, in the municipalities of Corral de Calatrava and Almaden, one in Cuenca and another in Albacete.

Ninety-five per cent of forest fires are caused by human carelessness. “We must pay all our attention to avoiding them, protecting our soil is everyone’s job,” the government said.

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