Madrid (EFE).- The forest fires registered in Spain since the beginning of the year have devastated more than 28,440 hectares, which means that in just three months, the country has lost more area than in full years such as 2008, 2010, 2014 and 2018 , according to satellite data from the European organization EFFIS compared by EFE.
The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) uses Copernicus satellite images for its estimates and, at 15:15, showed a balance of 28,444 hectares affected by fire since January 1 in the country, where multiple claims remain active.
This figure more than triples the average number of hectares burned during the first quarter in the period 2006-2022, located at 7,758 hectares, and comes after Spain lost some 310,000 hectares last year, which was the worst year in terms of fires in the country so far this century and the fifth worst since records exist.
According to EFFIS data, what was burned between January and March of this year exceeds the forest area affected by the flames in complete years such as 2008 (10,073 hectares), 2010 (19,770 hectares), 2014 (22,001 hectares) or 2018 (12,433 hectares). ).
Spain has more than a third of the hectares burned by the fires in the whole of the EU
In the whole of the European Union, the flames have burned some 73,700 hectares throughout the first quarter, of which Spain concentrates 38.5% (more than a third), always according to satellite estimates.
Behind Spain are France, with 19,133 hectares; Romania, with 14,406 hectares, and Portugal, with 5,806 hectares.
Among the most devastating fires so far this year in Spain are the fires in Villanueva de Viver (Castellón), on the border with Teruel, and in Baleira (Lugo), with 4,495 and 1,018 hectares affected, respectively, according to the data. satellite.
These figures will be expanded in the coming days, as these two fires are still active, along with more than a hundred accidents in Asturias and Cantabria.
According to the latest balance published by the Ministry for Ecological Transition (based on figures provided by the autonomous communities), between January 1 and February 28, in Spain there were 666 near misses (less than one hectare) and 428 fires ( more than one hectare affected).
In those two months, 5,396 hectares burned, below the average for recent years (6,958 hectares) and the figures for 2022, in which between January and February 9,987 hectares were lost and two large fires were recorded (those exceeding the 500 hectares).
Of the area affected up to February, 726 hectares corresponded to wooded area, 3,621 to scrubland and open forest, and 1,049 to pastures and meadows; and 86.7% of the total was in communities in the northwest of the peninsula.