Last week was critical for the Generalitat Firefighters, confirming the forecast of a complex summer of fires in Catalunya. According to data from the Rural Agents, in the last forty years, 14,410 forest fires have been declared up to July 6, 2026.
68% of all fires since 1986 have been accidents, negligence, or intentional fires. Only 32% were due to natural causes, unknown causes, or reignitions. A quarter of the fires, one in four, have been intentional, like the recent case in Tiana.
The data shows that intentional fires have not significantly decreased, representing 24% in the last decade (2016-2026), compared to 22% between 1986 and 1995. The last decade also recorded the lowest number of forest fires, with 2,727.
Xavier Úbeda, a geographer from the University of Barcelona (UB), points out that current fires are more intense due to the chaotic growth of forests without forest management, aggravated by the abandonment of rural areas and climate change, which causes chronic droughts.
Úbeda emphasizes the importance of firebreaks, as "sparks will always exist." The cause that has grown the most in the last forty years is accidents (from 8.8% to 18.7%), while negligence has decreased by nine percentage points.
In 2025, 344 forest fires were declared in Catalunya: 90 due to negligence, 87 by accident, 54 intentional, and 60 of unclear cause. In 2026, up to July 6, 154 fires have been registered, with 45 negligences, 36 accidents, and 25 intentional.
Antonio Andrés Pueyo, professor of Psychology at the University of Barcelona, explains that pyromania is a rare pathology and that intentional fires are often linked to violence or personal revenge, with most convicted individuals having prior criminal records.
