Reacción a "Numerous fires are active in different parts of the peninsula"

With so many days of heatwave and extreme fire risk, is it normal to have so many fires at the same time, or is this unusual?

"With this intense heatwave and extreme risk of forest fires, it is indeed inevitable that large forest fires will occur simultaneously, which is known as “fifth-generation fires”. Rather than normal, it is to be expected in the context of climate change.

Of course, we cannot consider it normal or acceptable because the causes of climate change are not normal or acceptable. What is unusual are the extreme temperatures, which are creating this risk of large simultaneous fires, known as thermal drought or “flash drought”, caused by the concentrated and prolonged impact of heat on vegetation and soil (high evaporation and evapotranspiration), even though last spring's rains prevented water shortages (scarcity of surface and groundwater).

Under these conditions of widespread fuel availability (propensity of vegetation to burn with high intensity and speed of propagation) due to the effects of thermal drought, high-speed wind gusts (even if they come from the north, as was the case in Navarre last week) and dry storms complete a meteorological scenario in which large fires are triggered in different places at the same time, regardless of the cause of ignition. And this is what is happening".

What is the outlook for how this will evolve?

"Given that the cause of this situation of simultaneous large fires we are experiencing is the heatwave, its evolution is linked to weather conditions. Fortunately, the preparedness and response of the defence system, together with an excellent weather and fuel condition information system, are enabling this emergency crisis to be managed with extraordinary professionalism and efficiency. In some cases, political decisions have also been very appropriate in declaring alert levels under the Special Civil Protection Plans for Forest Fires in the autonomous communities to prohibit certain activities in rural areas that increase the risk of ignition in this situation of extreme risk."

What is your assessment of the fires so far this summer?

"The assessment of the risk, occurrence and type of fires that are taking place cannot be positive in any way. Nor is the loss of human life and natural heritage. On the other hand, the assessment of the performance of the various emergency management systems in the autonomous communities that are being affected, the assessment of the professionalism and effectiveness of the defence services (forest firefighting teams and information, analysis and decision-making systems), and especially the assessment of the coordination at different levels and scales to manage these critical situations involving simultaneous large fires, is positive.