Forest Fires in 1999

(IFFN No. 22 - April 2000, p. 66-68)

Fire Effects

Every time we establish the balance of a fire season we remember the terrible year 1994, when 435,000 ha (250,000 ha forested) were blackened by wildfires. On the contrary the year 1999 was again a less than the average season (Tab.1). In fact the burned surface was reduced to 50% of 1998 burned surface.

The number of fires was also less than the average, but 63.5% were registered in the Northwest - as usual.

Most of the brushland and grassland burned areas were registered also at the Northwest (64%), although the forested area burned was approximately one third in every of the three main regions (Northwest 37.3%; Mediterranean 32.9%; Continental 29.3%). In the Canary Islands only 177 ha were burned.

This distribution is related to the main fire causes, which at the Northwest are traditional rural burnings in most cases.

A new preventive initiative has started in the Northwest: Three Integral Prevention Crews (IPC) (EPRIF in Spanish) have been created to operate in three provinces with the highest number of rural fires. They will work between November 1999 and April 2000. Their missions will be:

Their task includes training of the local foresters in those techniques. These IPC will be supported also by the winter Campaign of Rural Sensitization which is performing a theatre play in the small villages, showing to the local people the negative consequences of forest fires for them.

Among those negative consequences the victims by fire are mentioned. In 1999 four forest firefighters were surrounded and killed by fire in Huelva on 30 June. Another firefighter was burned in Cuenca on 26 August 1999. The pilot of a Dromader airtanker crashed in Navarra on 26 July 1999.

Fire Management

Available resources in 1999 have been rather similar to those in 1998 (see IFFN issues of January 1998 and March 1999).

New improvements were the following:

All the other aircrafts (fixed wing and helicopters) classified like "Resources for National Coverage" (MCN in Spanish) are equipped with satellite remote control to know their position in every moment at the National Operations Centre.

International Cooperation

Two International Courses were given:

Conclusions

In 1999 the Severity Index of Spain (burned surface as a percentage of the national woodland area) was again the lowest (0.3%) among the European Union Mediteranean countries.

 

Ricardo Vélez
Chief, National Forest Fire Service
General Directorate for Nature Conservation
Ministry of Environment
Gran Vía San Francisco 4
E-28005 Madrid

Fax: ++34-91-3.65.83.79
e-mail: ricardo.velez@gvsf.mma.es

 

Tab.1. Wildland fire statistcs of Spain: Comparison of the 1999 fire season with the average statistical data for the period 1994-98.

 

AVERAGE 1994-98

1999
Number of Fires (<1 ha) 12,769 11,866
Number of Fires (>1 ha) 7,775 5,613

Number of Large Fires (>500 ha)

32

14
Burned Surfaces (ha)
  • Forested
 72,827 21,804
  • Brushland and grassland
 97,230 45,597
  • Total

170,057

67,401

Burned surface as percentage of the national woodland area

0.7

0.3

 

Tab.2. Large fires (>500 ha) in Spain during the 1999 fire season

Date

Location

WOODLAND
Surface Burned
(ha)
22/2

San Justo (Zamora)

 656
17/3 Molezuelas (Zamora) 500
21/3 Lubián (Zamora) 2,500
29/6 Tábara (Zamora) 657
10/7 Ibias (Asturias) 452
11/7 Argamasilla (Ciudad Real) 800
15/7 Lerada (Salamanca) 755
17/7 Verín (Orense) 687
30/7 Descargarmaría (Cáceres) 823
5/8 Turre (Almería) 967
15/8 Enguera (Valencia) 3,197
17/8 Otivar (Granada) 2,148
28/8 El Escorial (Madrid) 450
26/8 Peñera (Salamanca) 680
1/9 Mombeltrán (Avila) 348
2/9 Alfoz de Bricia (Burgos) 985

8/10

Artá (Baleares)

910

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Country Notes
IFFN No. 22