VILLANUEVA DE VIVER: Spain’s first major wildfire of the year broke out in the eastern Valencia region on Friday, destroying more than 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) of forest and forcing 1,500 residents to flee their homes. , officials said.
An unusually dry winter in parts of the southern European continent has reduced soil moisture and raised fears of a repeat of 2022, when 785,000 hectares of land were destroyed in Europe, the worst in 16 years. More than twice the annual average, according to European Commission (EC) statistics.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told a news conference, “These fires that we are seeing, especially at the beginning of this year, are once again proof of the climate emergency that humanity is living with, which is particularly But affecting and destroying countries like ours.” Brussels.
A record 493 fires destroyed a record 307,000 hectares of land in Spain last year, according to the Commission’s European Forest Fire Information System.
More than 500 firefighters, supported by 18 planes and helicopters, worked through the night and Friday to contain the blaze near the village of Villanueva de Viver in the Valencia region.
Emergency services evacuated eight communities, said Gabriela Bravo, regional head of Interior Affairs.
“We didn’t sleep well because of the anxiety, wondering if our house was on fire and thinking about the animals we have,” said Maria Antonia Montales, an evacuee from nearby Montañejos.
Bravo said that while firefighters believed they were managing to contain the blaze, strong winds and “practically summer temperatures” could rekindle it.
More vulnerable to fires
Spain is facing a long-term drought after three years of below-average rainfall.
Weather will be drier and warmer than usual along Spain’s northeastern Mediterranean coast this spring, raising the risk of wildfires, meteorological agency AEMET told Reuters last week.
Environment Minister Teresa Ribera said “out-of-season fires” were becoming increasingly common.
“Summer is getting longer, it’s arriving earlier, and the availability of water and moisture in the ground is, unfortunately, decreasing, making us much more vulnerable,” he told reporters in Cádiz. “
A European Commission report this month observed a lack of rain and warmer-than-normal temperatures during the winter, leading to the worst for southern Spain, France, Ireland, the UK, northern Italy, Greece and parts of eastern Europe. Drought warnings have increased.
“There is every reason to fear that there will be many more large-scale events this year,” said Lorenzo Sicaris, a researcher at the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) in Rome.
According to the National Observatory in Athens, the winter in Greece was the warmest in more than a decade for its northern regions.
Christos Xerifos, head of the Athens Academy Research Center for Atmospheric Physics and Climatology, said the lack of rain and reduced soil moisture would help wildfires spread.
The commission’s report warned that low water levels could affect strategic sectors including agriculture, hydropower and energy production.
EU olive oil production for 2022-23 will fall by half from the previous season, according to official estimates, largely due to reduced output from Spain due to drought.
Dry spells have also affected production in Portugal and Italy.
