Ajit Karn
On Friday, hundreds of firefighters battled Spain’s first significant forest fire of the year, which authorities say has so far forced 1,500 people to evacuate their homes.
Firefighters stated that despite several days of unusually mild weather, the fire was more typical of the sweltering summer months than the spring.
It began just after midday (1200 GMT) on Thursday near Villanueva de Viver, approximately 90 kilometers (55 miles) north of Valencia, and has raged uncontrollably ever since.
During a visit to Brussels, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stated, “Unfortunately, we are facing the first major fire of the year, and it’s out of season.”
Such fires occurring so early in the year are further evidence of the climate calamity humanity faces, he said.
The regional administration of Valencia announced on Twitter that 450 firefighters and 22 aerial units have been dispatched to combat the conflagration.
Aitana Mas, a spokeswoman for the regional government, stated that more than 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) have been consumed within a 30-kilometer perimeter, and that 1,500 people have been evacuated from eight municipalities in the region.
Manolo Nicolas, spokesperson for the Castellon firefighters, told RNE radio that the current blaze is more typical of the summer.
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With vegetation desiccated out from a lack of atmospheric moisture in recent months and “vast amounts of combustible” biomass in the forests, he stated that the conditions are “ideal” for such a fire.
Montanejos, a village known for its natural waters and springs, is the area of utmost concern, according to the mayor of Montanejos, Miguel Sandalinas, who told RNE that the village’s hotels had to be evacuated as a precaution.
“Temperatures will reach 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) today,” Sandalinas said, attributing the July-like heat to climate change “in the middle of March.”
Nicolas stated that the winds would “make it more difficult to extinguish the fire” as he warned that the winds would “become stronger in the coming hours.”
According to the European Forest Fire Information System, Spain was the country most affected by wildfires in 2022, which was a particularly terrible year for wildfires in Europe, with nearly 500 blazes destroying more than 300,000 hectares. (EFFIS).
