Reacción a "The wildfire in Los Gallardos (Almería) has left at least 12 people dead"

The extreme wildfire behaviour we're seeing in Spain is closely linked to the extreme heatwave weather conditions. Fire behaviour (how quickly a fire spreads and how intensely it burns) is heavily influenced by the weather. Research shows that key measures such as rate of spread and the size of flames increase exponentially as fire weather becomes more severe, meaning that relatively small increases in extreme fire weather can produce disproportionately more dangerous fires. When weather conditions reach record-breaking levels, we should expect the potential for record-breaking fire behaviour, particularly when strong winds are present to accelerate fire spread and make suppression much more difficult. Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of the extreme heat and fire weather conditions that create these dangerous environments. While individual fires are influenced by many factors, including ignition sources, vegetation, and land management, climate change is inextricably linked to the record-breaking weather that is driving the conditions for these extreme wildfires.