Spain’s first major forest fire of the year broke out on Friday in the eastern Valencia region, forcing 1,500 residents from their homes and destroying more than 7,400 acres of forest.
An unusually dry winter in parts of southern Europe reduced moisture in the soil and raised fears of a repeat of what happened in 2022, when 785,000 hectares were destroyed across the continent.
This is more than double the annual average of the last 16 years, according to statistics from the European Commission (EC).
The president of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, said at a press conference in Brussels that the fires are proof of the “climate emergency that humanity is experiencing”.
In Spain, 493 fires destroyed a record 307,000 hectares of land last year, according to the Commission’s European Forest Fire Information System.
Spain’s first major forest fire of the year broke out on Friday in the eastern Valencia region, destroying more than 3,000 hectares of forest and forcing 1,500 residents from their homes. Pictured is a forest fire in the hills near Villanueva de Viver, Spain, on Friday morning.
An unusually dry winter in parts of southern Europe reduced moisture in the soil and raised fears of a repeat of what happened in 2022, when 785,000 hectares were destroyed across the continent. Pictured is smoke billowing from a forest fire burning below as a firefighting plane flies over San Agustín, Spain.
More than 500 firefighters supported by 18 planes and helicopters worked overnight and on Friday to put out the blaze near the town of Villanueva de Viver, in the Valencia region. In the image, a military plane drops water on a forest fire in San Agustín, Spain.
More than 500 firefighters supported by 18 planes and helicopters worked overnight and on Friday to put out the blaze near the town of Villanueva de Viver, in the Valencia region.
Emergency services evacuated eight communities, said Gabriela Bravo, regional head of Interior Affairs.
Local resident María Antonia Montalaz, who was evacuated from nearby Montanejos, said: “We didn’t sleep well because of anxiety, wondering if our house had burned down and thinking about the animals we have.”
While firefighters believed they were managing to control the spread of the flames, high winds and “virtually summer temperatures” could reignite them, Bravo said.
Spain is experiencing a prolonged drought after three years of below-average rainfall.
The weather will be drier and warmer than usual this spring along Spain’s northeastern Mediterranean coast, increasing the risk of forest fires, weather agency AEMET told Reuters last week.
Environment Minister Teresa Ribera said “fires out of season” were becoming more common.
“Summer is getting longer, it is arriving earlier and unfortunately the availability of water and humidity in the soil is reducing, making us much more vulnerable,” he told reporters in Cádiz.
A European Commission report this month noted a lack of rain and warmer-than-normal temperatures during the winter, prompting drought warnings for southern Spain, France, Ireland, Britain, northern Italy, Greece and parts of eastern Europe.
“There are many reasons to fear that this year there will also be numerous and widespread events,” said Lorenzo Ciccarese, a researcher at the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) in Rome.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told a press conference in Brussels (pictured Friday) that the fires are proof of the “climate emergency that humanity is experiencing.”
In Spain, 493 fires destroyed a record 307,000 hectares of land last year, according to the Commission’s European Forest Fire Information System (helicopter dropping water on a forest fire in San Agustín in the photo)
While firefighters believed they were managing to control the spread of the flames, high winds and ‘nearly summer temperatures’ could reignite them (a firefighter is shown during a forest fire in Fuente de la Reina)
Spain is experiencing a prolonged drought after three years of below-average rainfall (pictured, a plume of smoke from a forest fire in Fuente de la Reina on Friday)
Weather will be drier and hotter than usual this spring along Spain’s northeastern Mediterranean coast, increasing the risk of forest fires, weather agency AEMET told Reuters last week (a column pictured). of smoke during a forest fire in Fuente de la Renta)
The winter in Greece was the warmest for its northern regions in more than a decade, according to the National Observatory of Athens.
Lack of rain and decreased soil moisture will help the spread of wildfires if there are heat waves, said Christos Zerefos, director of the Athens Academy’s Research Center for Atmospheric Physics and Climatology.
The Commission report warned that low water levels could affect strategic sectors such as agriculture, hydroelectric power and energy production.
Olive oil production in the European Union for 2022-23 will halve compared to the previous season, according to official estimates, largely due to a drop in Spain’s production caused by drought.
Dry spells have also affected production in Portugal and Italy.
