MORE than a third of all land destroyed by wildfires across the EU this year has been in Spain, new data reveals – the highest share of any country in the bloc.
A total of 305 wildfires have been reported across Spain as of July 8, according to data from the EU’s fire monitoring system Copernicus, with blazes consuming 551 square kilometres of land.
The striking figure, equivalent to around 77,000 football pitches, accounts for 35% of the EU’s 1,537 square kilometres of burned land.
It is also a staggering 120% higher than last year, Spain’s worst wildfire year on record, when nearly 4,000 square kilometres went up in flames by December 31.
The alarming figures come after two consecutive heatwaves in June and July placed large swathes of the country under red alerts for “extreme wildfire risk”.
On Tuesday, state weather agency AEMET flagged large areas of northern, eastern and western Spain as “high risk” for wildfires, amid forecasts temperatures could reach 44C in parts of the country.
The heatwave is expected to last until Thursday, the agency said.
Two recent large-scale wildfires near tourist hotspots in Cadiz and Castellon forced around 700 people to evacuate their homes and hotels, according to multiple media reports.
The Spanish government and several autonomous communities, including Andalucia, have been preparing for the much-feared fire season by rolling out new anti-wildfire campaigns.
In May, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced a plan involving the deployment of new forest firefighting brigades, emergency teams and more than 20 additional military aircraft.
Separately, Andalucia’s emergency response department approved a new anti-wildfire plan involving around 4,700 firefighting professionals, 108 specialist fire engines, 43 aircraft and new specialist units.
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