The fires in Ávila, Madrid and Castellón remain out of control, with thousands of people evacuated

Why is it proving so difficult to bring under control, on the one hand, the fire in Madrid-Ávila, and, on the other, the one in La Vall d’Uixó?

“We have entered an era of fires that cannot be extinguished. These are fires that burn with the intensity of several atomic bombs and, as such, putting them out is extremely complex. They burn with such intensity because of all the energy stored in the hills, in the form of biomass, and because of all the drying energy in the atmosphere, resulting from the indiscriminate burning of fossil fuels. Added to this are adverse weather and topographical conditions.”

Do we have to get used to this type of fire, which exceeds our fire-fighting capacity?

"I think the question right now is: how many more deaths will it take before effective measures are taken? Last week, in comments to the SMC, I mentioned how we were on the verge of experiencing mega-fires covering 100,000 hectares, and the Burgohondo fire complex has already reached 70,000 hectares. This is the largest fire on the Iberian Peninsula. When a patient suffering from an infection goes to the doctor, they essentially have two options: either to follow the course of treatment prescribed by the doctor or to go without treatment. If they do not take the medication, the infection will probably end up killing them. Right now, we are that patient who is not taking the medication. We must not get used to this situation, as with prevention and other measures we can bring the fires under control.”

What can be done when the fires exceed our fire-fighting capacity?

“If the fire is beyond our fire-fighting capacity, we can tackle the parts that are within our capacity, such as the flanks or the tail. Depending on the circumstances, the only option is to evacuate the area, even for the firefighters, as they are in grave danger.”

Are we prepared to tackle them?

“We can improve by establishing a risk culture and enhancing firefighting intelligence—that is, our analytical capabilities—and by incorporating fire analysts into the chain of command, along with specialists in planning and logistics. Some communities in Spain have already done so, but not all. However, all this will be in vain if we do not manage the fuel load. No one is prepared to tackle fires with the power of 23 atomic bombs – which is the energy released by this complex of fires.”

Why is it proving so difficult to bring the fires in Madrid-Ávila and La Vall d'Uixó under control?

“When a fire is so difficult to control, the most common cause is usually a combination of the following factors: (i) a high load of plant fuel; (ii) very unfavourable weather conditions (high temperatures, low relative humidity, strong and dry winds); (iii) steep and/or rugged terrain, to which we must add (iv) homes, towns or housing estates (i.e. the urban-forest interface), which are usually a priority target for evacuation and fire-fighting efforts, forcing a variable amount of resources to be diverted, even if only temporarily”.

Do we have to get used to this type of fire, which exceeds our fire-fighting capacity?

“If the issue of fuel load is not addressed, I think we’re going to have to get used to it. As many forestry specialists and engineers often say: what we don’t manage ourselves, the fire will manage. The problem is that the fuel load has grown significantly over recent decades, mainly as a result of the exodus from rural areas, and something like this cannot be easily resolved in the short term; I do not believe there are any miracle solutions (nor any cost-effective ones) for a problem of this magnitude.”

What can be done when the fire exceeds the firefighting capacity?

“Remove fuel wherever feasible so that, when the fire front arrives, there isn’t much left to burn and the intensity of the fire is reduced, making it possible to tackle it. On paper it seems simple, but in practice it can be extremely complicated due to the high speed at which the fire spreads (which sometimes overcomes defence lines with great ease), as well as the creation of secondary hotspots caused by the emission of incandescent embers (sparks) that spread through the air; these can cross those lines and endanger firefighting personnel.”

Are we prepared to tackle them?

“From a distance, I get the impression that we are not entirely prepared. In fact, one need only look at our immediate geographical neighbours (Portugal, France, Italy, Greece) to realise that this is a supranational problem.”