In the last seven days they have burned {{area_ha_last_week}} hectares in {{fires_last_week}} fires, according to estimates of the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). The affected surface is a {{area_ha_last_week_pc}}% of the {{area_ha_year}} hectares reached by fire so far this year.
The map indicated the burned areas in the main fires of more than 30 hectares during the last four days. The points identify the active fires according to the NASA Fire Information System (FIRMS). The map appears focused on the fires of Galicia, and must decrease the zoom To see the rest of Spain. You can click on the posters to consult the detail of the progress of the largest fires.
Information on active fires is based on data collected by five satellites that detect heat spotlights using thermal sensors. The perimeter of, also based on satellite images, includes 95% of the total area that burns every year in the European Union.
How is the season being?
In Spain they have burned {{area_ha_year}} hectares from the beginning of the year to this {{today}}with what the current fire season already exceeds the average of the last 18 years at this point of summer (53,600 hectares). It is not, however, the year with worse data: in the same period of 2022 more than 286,000 hectares had burned with fires as devastating as the two of the Sierra de la Culebra, in Zamora, which concentrated almost 20% of the surface burned in that year.
The number of fires has spoke more, which is already in {{fires_year}} –On the average of {{fires_mean}}-, with an increase in {{fires_summer_inc}}% from the beginning of summer.
What has been burned?
The EFFIS information system also analyzes the type of surface that the flames have reached. According to this classification, more than 75% of what has been burned in the last decade was forest area (coniferous, leafy or sclerophilic forest) or areas with other vegetation (thickets, pastures, herbacies).
Agrarian areas are also often affected – 11.6% since 2016 – while urban areas (homes, infrastructure, roads and other constructions) have received a comparatively marginal impact: only 0.3% (2,200 hectares).
Where is there greater risk?
Today, there would be extreme fire in a {{Area_riesgo_extremo}}% of the peninsular surface, according to Aemet estimates. The map shows the risk levels in terms of probability, extension and intensity, according to the information collected in the weather stations.
Meteorological risk of fires
Low
Moderate
Alto
Very high
Extreme
What is happening in the EU?
In the European Union as a whole, the burned area amounts to {{ue_area_year}} hectares, {{ue_aera_over_mean}} above average. The advance is driven by Romania’s figures: there were almost 100,000 hectares between February 11 and March 18.
EFFIS data indicate 2017 as the worst year since there are records. In this case, Portugal was key in climbing: in mid -October and after a period of drought, one devastated more than 200,000 hectares and charged fifty fatalities.
Methodology
In the map that heads the piece is shown active fires from two data sources:
- The heat spotlight detected by NASA’s fire information system in the last 48 hours.
The burned areas published by EFFIS, which can go with more delay as it is a manual process. On the map are only shown as active burned areas in whose extension they have captured heat lights in the last 24 hours. - In order to avoid false alarms, heat points are excluded with low reliability (less than 30 in modis or category low in VIIRS). The platform itself warns that these detections may be due to thermal anomalies not related to fire, such as industrial, agricultural activity or other sources.
On the map there may also be posters with some of the most relevant fires of the moment with a number of burned hectares. This figure, collected from institutional sources, may not coincide with that indicated by EFFIS, which is updated with more delay.
In the analysis of the burnt surface historical and number of fires, the EFFIS methodology is applied, which rules out the fires less than 30 hectares in their statistics. In the calculation of the burned daily hectares, its start date is taken for each fire.
