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WILDFIRES

Wildfire near Spanish-French border spreads rapidly

A forest fire on the Spanish Mediterranean coast near the border with France was spreading rapidly on Friday, fed by strong winds and surrounding a popular tourist site.

Published: 4 August 2023 22:46 CEST
Wildfire near Spanish-French border spreads rapidly
Fire near Spain's border with France spreading rapidly. Illustration photo by DESIREE MARTIN / AFP

The blaze in the Portbou area burned around 200 hectares (500 acres) in three hours and could spread over 400 hectares, Catalonia’s regional government said in a statement.

The Catalan fire service had ordered people not to leave the village of Colera and the nearby Sant Miquel campsite, according to the region’s civil protection service.

The blaze was difficult to extinguish due to the mountainous terrain, senior firefighter Santi Lleonart said in a Catalan government statement.

The wind was making operations harder and the fire had developed multiple fronts that could spread further, while firefighters had not yet managed to reach some isolated pockets, he added.

The seaside town of Portbou, near the Spanish-French border, has a major railway station used by both countries’ networks.

The road leading to the site has been closed to private vehicles to facilitate the movement of firefighters tackling the blaze.

Active fires in Portbou area, Spain

Active fires (purple markers) and burnt areas (in red) around Portbou, near the Spanish-French border. Source: European Forest Fire Information System

Every summer Colera sees its 500-strong population boosted by an influx of tourists headed for the Spanish beaches. The Sant Miquel campsite has a capacity of 720, according to Catalan authorities.

Improvised shelters were prepared in Colera for those trapped in the area overnight.

Some 230 firefighters from Spain and France were fighting the blaze and were being backed by air support, said the Catalan government.

But a French water-bombing aircraft sent to the zone was unable to operate because of the strong winds, a French fire services spokesman told AFP.

“For the moment, the fire is confined to Spanish territory,” he added.

The Spanish meteorological agency Aemet reported winds in the region of up to 50 kilometres (30 miles) an hour.

Spain is experiencing a less destructive summer in terms of wildfires compared to 2022, when more than 300,000 hectares were devastated by blazes, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.

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WILDFIRES

Why has Spain had far fewer wildfires this summer?

Wildfires have been a common feature of Spanish summers in recent years, but several factors have come together so far this year to ensure far less destruction.

Published: 2 September 2024 16:12 CEST
Why has Spain had far fewer wildfires this summer?

So far this year wildfires in Spain have burned 42,314 hectares of land. That may sound like a lot, but it’s actually a lot less than usual – 46.4 percent less than in the same period in 2023, to be exact, when 78,852 hectares were scorched.

In fact, 2024 hasn’t just been a low year relative to 2023 but the entire last decade – 46.5 percent less than the average for the last ten years, according to data from Spain’s Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITECO).

In terms of geography, the inland regions have suffered more fires than in the north or on the Mediterranean coast this year. Burnt areas in these inland parts of Spain represent 43.5 percent of the total to date, compared to 37.35 percent in the Mediterranean area and 19 percent in northeastern Spain.

So far the most serious fire this year was in Jaén in southern Spain, which devastated some 3,600 hectares and forced hundreds of people to be evacuated from their homes. But it was still nothing like the massive wildfires of previous years that burnt 10,000 hectares or even 20,000 hectares that we’ve become used to seeing.

July and August are generally thought to be the worst months of wildfire season, but experts warn that September is still a crucial month for controlling them. Looking at data, however, the signs are good so far.

Why has Spain had far fewer wildfires this summer?

Meteorologist at El Tiempo.es, Mario Picazo, points to the different weather conditions this year, particularly over the summer months. In a sentence this basically means that conditions have been more favourable compared to previous years when it comes to wildfires.

Spain’s Military Emergency Unit has observed that vegetation has had a higher moisture content this year, especially during part of the summer. Dry vegetation and plant material is highly combustible and is one of the fastest ways for wildfires to spread.

Rain and higher moisture levels, according to Picazo, have played a role in reducing both the number and intensity of wildfires this year.

“Although it cannot be said to be the only factor, the rain in June has had a lot to do with it,’ stated one Ministry representative in Spanish daily El País.

Heightened awareness about the dangers of wildfires following major blazes in the summer of 2023 also likely played a role in the reduction. Awareness campaigns started in 2022 have obviously had some impact, seeing as around 80 percent of wildfires are caused by some kind of human action, whether intentional or accidental.

But it does seem the favourable weather conditions played a big role. Summer this year began with relatively mild temperatures and there has been rain to some degree in most parts of the country. This has increased humidity levels in drought-ridden areas that were previously extremely dry, such as in Catalonia.

There have also been some storms in the Mediterranean region, which, although isolated, have helped to reduce the dryness in the environment and made wildfires less likely to start and spread.

Juli Pausas, a CSIC researcher and fire expert, stresses that this year “there have not been the extreme conditions” that usually generate the large, uncontrollable wildfires we’ve become used to seeing in Spain in recent years.

Strong winds also play a role in this. “Fortunately, the wind has not blown with the necessary force to get the fires out of control,” Pausas says. This means that any fires that have started, something less likely due to the rains and higher humidity levels, are easier for the emergency services to control.

READ ALSO: What to do and what to avoid if you see a wildfire in Spain

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