Between June 21st and July 12th, 136 forest fires have been declared in Catalonia, a figure only surpassed last year in the same period. This continuity of fires, with only two previous instances of summers starting with such persistence, is of particular concern to emergency services.
The simultaneity of the fires has forced the Firefighters corps to deploy their resources across the territory daily. More than half of the days this early summer have seen 7 or more fires declared, a situation not witnessed since 2011, according to data from the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda. Up to four days have seen more than a dozen fires ignited, an unusual occurrence at the beginning of summer.
Rural Agents attribute this increase to the drying out of forests caused by the three heatwaves that have affected the country. Chief Inspector Antoni Mur points to meteorology as a key indicator for predicting high-risk days. The link between high temperatures and fires is direct, as evidenced during the first heatwave, when three days saw a dozen fires.
During the second heatwave, between July 5th and 10th, forty fires were declared, including some of the summer's most significant, such as those in Carme (Anoia), Guimerà (Urgell), Sentmenat (Vallès Occidental), and Torrefeta i Florejacs (Segarra).
Although generally not large-scale fires, Catalonia is experiencing the start of summer with the most forested area burned since 2011. The fire in Les Gavarres has been the largest of the season, with 93% of the burned area being forested. Other fires notable for the affected forest area include those in Aiguamúrcia (Alt Camp), Sentmenat, and Carme. The fire that originated in La Bisbal d'Empordà (Baix Empordà) has become the seventh largest in the last 15 years.
