Spain's First Major Wildfire Of The Year Burns 3,000 Hectares Of Forest Land, 1,500 Residents Rescued

In the first major wildfire in Spain this year, 3,000 hectares of forest land got scorched while 1,500 residents in eastern Valencia had to abandon their houses.

Spain's first major wildfire of this year that destroyed 3,000 hectares of forest land

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Spain's first major wildfire of this year destroyed 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) of forest and forced 1,500 residents in eastern Valencia to abandon their homes on Friday. European Commission (EC) statistics suggest that an unusually dry winter across the southern parts of the European continent reduced the moisture of soil and raised fears of a repeat of the 2022 incident when 785,000 hectares of forest were destroyed in Europe, more than double the annual average for the past 16 years, news agency Reuters reported.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez during a press conference in Brussels said, "These fires we're seeing, especially this early in the year, are once again proof of the climate emergency that humanity is living through, which particularly affects and ravages countries such as ours."

Throughout the night and on Friday, more than 500 firemen with the aid of 18 airplanes and helicopters fought the wildfire near the village of Villanueva de Viver, in the Valencia region, reported Reuters.

Eight communities were evacuated by emergency services, according to Gabriela Bravo, the regional head of interior affairs. He added that while firefighters believed they were managing to control the spread of the flames, strong winds and "practically summertime temperatures" could reactivate it

Maria Antonia Montalaz, who was evacuated from the nearby region Montanejos, said, "We didn't sleep well because of anxiety, wondering whether our home had burned down and thinking about the animals we have."

Prone To Wildfires

After three years of below-average rainfall, Spain is currently facing a long drought. According to the meteorological agency AEMET, this spring will be drier and hotter than usual along Spain's northeastern Mediterranean coast, increasing the risk of wildfires.

According to Environment Minister Teresa Ribera, "out-of-season fires" are becoming more common.

As per the European Forest Fire Information System, 493 fires in Spain last year scorched a record 307,000 hectares of land.