From flames to ashes: Spain experiences one of its worst summers due to fires

Madrid / BarcelonaMore than 120,000 hectares have been affected in one week. This is the huge figure left by the wave of fires ravaging the country, primarily affecting the autonomous communities of Galicia, Castile and León, and Extremadura, although these are not the only areas where fires remain active this Saturday. The State Coordination Committee (CECOD) for the fight against fires reported this afternoon that 19 fires are in operational status 2, which means they require state resources. Furthermore, the Ministry of the Interior has requested greater European aid through the European Civil Protection System: two French tanker aircraft will be joined by two Italian tanker aircraft, which will begin operating this Sunday in the areas where it is most urgent. However, the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, is scheduled to travel this Sunday to Ourense and León, the two areas of greatest concern at the moment, and to visit more affected areas throughout the coming week, as reported by government sources. Once there, he will meet with those responsible for the emergency and coordination teams.

Behind the figures is, so far, the loss of up to three human lives—two volunteers from León who were helping with the firefighting efforts and a man in Tres Cantos (Madrid) who died while trying to save some horses from the flames. In addition, there are also injuries, including professionals from the firefighting teams, thousands of families evacuated, the confinement of entire towns and the disappearance of crops, forests, and animal species, as well as the devastation of protected areas such as Las Médulas, in the León region of El Bierzo, listed as a heritage site in Palencia (Castilla y León) and Cantabria, and a refuge for endangered animal species such as the brown bear. Furthermore, dozens of roads remain closed, and rail traffic between Galicia and Madrid has not yet been restored.

However, for some areas, the harshness of the images is not unfamiliar. These days, residents affected by the fire in the Sierra de la Culebra mountain range in Zamora (Castilla y León) have relived the catastrophe of 2022, when the flames scorched 60,000 hectares and killed four people. Many of them feel that this August is pouring rain. A lament shared by the agricultural sector, which is directly affected by the fires, but also by professionals dedicated to fire prevention and management, whether firefighters or forestry agents.

That's why one of the reflections that has been put back on the table is that a fire is not extinguished in summer, but in winter, as the president of the agricultural association UCALE-COAG, of León, Poli Castellanos, pointed out this Saturday in statements to Europa Press.. "The catastrophe is total," lamented the farmer. In an interview with Europa Press, the dean of the Official College of Forestry Engineers, Eduardo Tolosana, called for increased public investment in forest fire prevention measures and lamented that they are seen as "investments with little electoral return" because the results are not immediate. "The easiest thing [to prevent fires] is to carry out actions that don't have an immediate result. You clear an area [of forest] so that when fires occur they are easier to extinguish, or so that it is more difficult for them to become large forest fires, although otherwise the public doesn't see that," the engineer reflected.

Political Picapela

Specifically, investment in prevention by public administrations has been one of the elements that has marked the exchange of reproaches between Pedro Sánchez's government and the PP throughout the week, to the point that the back-and-forth has been reminiscent of the clash triggered by the DANA disaster in Valencia. The PSOE has criticized the latter for being out of control.

The Moncloa government has denounced the lack of investment by some of the regional governments, currently in the hands of the PP, which are those responsible for the emergency services linked to fighting forest fires. For their part, the PP has linked the lack of general state budgets with cuts in firefighting equipment available to the Ministry for Ecological Transition, something this department has denied.

For now, all available resources from the affected autonomous communities have been deployed to combat the fires, and other territories such as Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Basque Country, and Madrid have also sent resources. However, resources from the State, starting with the Military Emergency Unit (UME), and even from the European Union have also been deployed. Hundreds of volunteers from the affected areas have joined them, whose surroundings have been devastated by the flames.

The truth is that beyond the political spat, the deployment of personnel has highlighted the lack of resources when it comes to preventing a fire. "There is a lack of personnel, [firefighting] resources, and working conditions are precarious," the CCOO (Working Council of Workers) denounced this week. The union has pointed out the inequalities between autonomous communities and, in fact, some of those worst off are those most severely affected by the fires this August. In terms of salary, for example, a forest firefighter in Extremadura or Castilla y León earns little more than the minimum interprofessional wage (SMI) and, in the event of an emergency, must be fully available and work long hours. Furthermore, the unions denounce that in some cases there is a lack of professionalization.

"Chaos, lack of coordination, a shortage of resources, and extreme working conditions [...] Workdays have reached 21 hours, with insufficient breaks and problems with staff supplies and accommodation," complained Sergio Fidalgo, a firefighter from the León region of El Bierzo, in a statement to Europa Pres.

Declaration of emergency?

This Saturday, the fires of greatest concern are those in Ourense, Galicia, and León, as well as the blaze burning in Cáceres (Extremadura), where the flames remain out of control and towns remain under lockdown. The Galician regional government acknowledged that the regional government was beginning to be overwhelmed. Alarm bells were also ringing in Extremadura. In fact, the presidents of these two regions, as well as the presidents of Castile and León and Andalusia, territories governed by the People's Party (PP), have asked the Spanish government for greater assistance. "The situation is exceptional and the EMU (Union of Emergency Units) is not sufficient," stated Andalusian President Juanma Moreno (PP) on the social media platform X. Alberto Núñez Feijóo himself requested the activation of the army.

For now, the Ministry of the Interior has ruled out declaring an emergency due to the fires and allowing the Spanish government to assume management over the autonomous communities. "What I've heard from all the coordination centers is that collaboration is optimal [...] What we're doing is addressing all the requests for personnel and materials from the technical directorates of the autonomous communities leading the emergency. We've provided everything they've requested immediately," the minister stated. The Country.

The entire Mediterranean basin affected by fire

The wave of fires this August is ravaging part of the Iberian Peninsula, but also many other areas of the Mediterranean basin, one of the most vulnerable regions in the world to the effects of the climate crisis. From Portugal to Turkey, via southern France and the Balkans, large fires have been experienced. The reason lies mainly in the extraordinary and prolonged heat waves of this year. The one we're experiencing these days in our home is already one of the five longest on record, and it's not over yet. Extreme temperatures dry out the land and reduce soil moisture, and the lack of rain during the summer does nothing to prevent the flames from spreading rapidly if a fire breaks out.

It's important to keep in mind that this spring was rainy across much of the Iberian Peninsula, which caused bushes and grasses to grow, unlike anything seen in years. This undergrowth, with the arrival of extreme heat, has dried out and become fuel in the event of a fire. Furthermore, we are experiencing the worst drought in recorded history, which has put an end to the lives of many trees and plants. It is estimated that in Catalonia alone, nearly 28% of trees have died due to the water shortage in recent years. In short, a lot of dead or dried vegetation is causing a complicated summer in terms of fire risk. Furthermore, there are areas of the Mediterranean that are still suffering from a severe drought.

This combination of factors underlying the climate crisis predicts increasingly virulent and uncontrollable fires. These are the dreaded sixth-generation fires, which are spreading unchecked and exceeding the extinguishing capacity of emergency services. The UN estimates that extreme fires will increase by 15% by 2030, and by 30% by mid-century.

Added to all this are dangerous meteorological phenomena such as dry summer storms, which cause or extinguish fires due to electrical activity and gusty winds. Some of the fires in recent days on the Peninsula have been started by lightning strikes or spread by erratic, strong, and hot winds. These are lethal factors in a terrain that has become a powder keg due to global warming.