Forest fires devastate Spain

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A forest fire is defined as a large fire that is capable of spreading uncontrollably through forest lands, mostly composed of trees. These fires spread very quickly, covering large areas, since, depending on the direction of the wind, they suddenly change their own direction. It is in the summer season that the spread of most of these fires is recorded, with key factors being high temperatures or the low availability of environmental water, which causes the vegetation itself to serve as perfect fuel for the fire to start. and it spreads at a higher speed. The heat wave that is ravaging the Iberian Peninsula has been the perfect breeding ground for a wave of forest fires to occur in Spain.

According to the European Forest Fire Information Oman Email List System (EFFIS), as of July 20, 2022, 182,497 hectares have burned in Spain in 310 forest fires, 70,000 in this latest heat wave. Illustration 1 Representation of Fires in Spain from NASA's VIIRS (Source: La Gistería) CASTILLA AND LEÓN In the community, the Monsagro fire in Salamanca is active, which began on Monday the 11th and suffered a reactivation of the outbreak in the Las Batuecas Valley. This has already burned more than 9,000 hectares. It is as a result of the high temperatures and gusts of wind that the fire cannot be considered controlled, being considered level 2 of danger.



The impact on Zamora is notable, which has become the epicenter of the fires in Spain. The first estimates made based on satellite images of the forest fire declared in Losacio (Zamora) suggest that some 27,000 hectares of land may have already been burned. That figure was offered this Tuesday by the website specialized in forest management and accounting for the area destroyed by fires in Spain, forestry.es, directed by the expert, associate professor at the University of León and teacher at the FP center in Almázcara (León ) included in the Copernicus Academy, Celso Coco. There are already 14 towns evacuated in Zamora and it continues to spread dangerously towards the only part of the Sierra de la Culebra that did not burn in June.