Spain Wildfire of year destroys 3,000 hectares of land
Unfortunately, Spain has experienced its first major wildfire of the year. The fire took place in the eastern Valencia region and has caused significant destruction, having already burnt over 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) of forest. As a result, 1,500 residents were forced to evacuate their homes for their safety. The situation is being closely monitored by the authorities.
Due to an unusually dry winter in certain areas of southern Europe, the moisture levels in the soil have decreased significantly. This has led to concerns that a repeat of the devastating wildfires in 2022, which destroyed 785,000 hectares of land across Europe – more than double the annual average for the past 16 years, could occur again, according to the European Commission (EC).
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez emphasized the severity of the climate emergency humanity is facing as he spoke about the wildfires occurring early in the year, stating that “These fires we’re seeing, especially this early in the year, are once again proof of the climate emergency that humanity is living through, which particularly affects and ravages countries such as ours”
Last year, Spain experienced a record-breaking number of wildfires, with 493 fires destroying a total of 307,000 hectares of land, according to the European Forest Fire Information System by the Commission.
Throughout the night and on Friday, more than 500 firemen with the assistance of 18 planes and helicopters battled the inferno in the vicinity of the Valencian region’s Villanueva de Viver village.
Eight communities were evacuated by emergency services, according to Gabriela Bravo, the regional director of interior affairs.
“We didn’t sleep well because of anxiety, wondering whether our home had burned down and thinking about the animals we have,” said by María Antonia Montalaz, a resident of adjacent Montanejos who was evacuated.
Strong winds and “practically summertime temperatures,” so according to Bravo, may rekindle the flames, even if firefighters thought they were capable of halting the spread of the fire.
MORE VULNERABLE’ TO FIRES
After three years of below-average rainfall, Spain is currently enduring a prolonged drought. According to the meteorological office AEMET, this spring will be drier and hotter than typical along Spain’s northeastern Mediterranean coast, raising the risk of wildfires.
Environment Minister Teresa Ribera ” says “out-of-season fires” were becoming increasingly common. She told reporters in Cadiz that as summer gets longer and arrives earlier, the amount of water and humidity in the soil is regrettably declining, making us considerably more vulnerable.
In a study released this month, the European Commission noted that the winter had been dry and warmer than usual, prompting drought alerts to be issued for southern Spain, France, Ireland, Britain, northern Italy, Greece, and several areas of eastern Europe.
Lorenzo Ciccarese, a researcher at the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) in Rome, stated that “there is every cause to fear that this year too there will be numerous and broad occurrences.”
The National Observatory of Athens, this winter in Greece was the warmest for its northern parts in more than a decade.
Christos Zerefos, director of the Athens Academy Research Centre for Atmospheric Physics and Climatology said that, if there are heatwaves, there will be less rain and a drop in land humidity, which will aid in the spread of wildfires.
Low water levels might have an impact on important industries like agriculture, hydropower, and energy generation, the Commission report said.
Official projections, the amount of olive oil produced in the European Union in 2022–2023 will be cut in half when compared to the prior season, primarily because of a decrease in output from Spain brought on by the drought.
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