Yesterday he officially began the summer campaign against forest fires in Spain. A start of the summer season, where there is more risk of these flames, which comes with good news such as the Notable descent of this type of accidents So far this year if data is seen 10 years ago.
Thus, in the first four months of this year more than 1,500 accidents; Figure quite far from the more than 5,600 registered (between fires and fire reals) in 2017 for example.
Apart from this good news, another positive aspect at this start of the summer campaign is the fact that A great forest fire has not been recorded (They are those that affect more than 500 hectares) from January to April 2025. Nothing to do with the sad memory of the year 2023 when a total of 14 large fires were recorded.
Spain begins the fire campaign with the least number of accidents with fire in 10 years
The summer campaign against forest fires in Spain, which officially began yesterday, seeks strengthen prevention and improve response capacity to possible firesin a context marked by a remarkable decline in accidents so far this year with respect to the decade.
According to the latest data provided by the Ministry for Ecological Transition, between January and April 2025, 1,508 accidents have been registered in the country -including fires and conatos-, a figure that represents the lowest fireworks since 2016 (1,364 accidents) and far from 2017 (5,653 claims).
Also in these months is significantly lower the calcined forest surfacewhich on April 30 reaches 7,228 hectares, in front of the average of the last decade located at 23,304 hectares. In 2016 alone, less burned hectares (3,088 ha) were recorded during the same period.
Another especially positive fact is the absence of a great forest fire (GIF) – those that affect more than 500 hectares – in the first four months of the year. A notable difference if compared to the average of the decade, which is around the four GIF in that period, or with the 14 large fires recorded in 2023, the most critical year of the last decade.
Today, the Iberian Peninsula is immersed in an episode of extraordinarily warm temperatures for the time of yearso the forest fire campaign begins with an extreme level of risk in large areas of the country. The level of fire risk is red in areas of much of the quadrant Southwestern, west of Castilla y León and points of the Northeast and Levanteaccording to data provided by the AEMET.
Fire device in Spain this year
The state fire fighting operation will have the reinforcement brigades in forest fires (BRIF) and the Miteco large capacity hydroplary fleet, operated by the 43 Air and Space Army Group.
To these media is added the participation of the Military Emergency Unit (UME) of the Ministry of Defense, as well as specific devices and devices of the National Police, Civil Guard and the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT), which are activated depending on each fire. These State resources are coordinated with the autonomic plans for prevention and extinction, whose responsibility falls to the Autonomous Communities.
At European level, fire risk is also expected to also these next days in areas to the south of the Mediterranean such as North Africa, and on the island of Sardinia, according to the data provided by the European Copernicus service.
According to the same sources, the number of forest fires this year with respect to the average is being very anomalous, after a few months of spring with rains well above normal in southern Europe and dry time in the north.
In the case of Portugal the data is striking: 96,360 hectares burned on average by these dates, compared to 3,563 hectares so far from 2025.
On the contrary, in northern Europe an inverse situation is being given, with more fires this year than usual in traditionally humid countries; For example, Denmark, with 204 hectares razed for what goes from year to 72.58 on average, or Ireland, with 4,355 so far in 2025, as opposed to 3,139.37 on average. EFE / ECOTICIAS.com