The fire devastated 267,939.64 hectares of land in 2022, which is 180,059.9 hectares more than in 2021, nearly three times last year. this is the worst in ten years.
The figure far exceeds the 87,966.09 hectares burned in 2021, a decrease of 22.58% over the last decade’s average. Specifically, venture attempts (less than 1 hectare) and the number of fires (more than 1 hectare) decreased by 22.77%, making 2011 the fourth year with the least number of accidents.
Thus, 10,503 damage records were recorded in 2022, which is 15,845% more than in 2021. In particular, near misses increased by only 386 more recorded fires compared to the previous year. Among them, however, was a notable increase in the number of large forest fires (GIFs) exceeding 500 burning hectares, as there were 57 fires in 2022, more than three times the previous year’s 18.
As a result, 2021 closed with the fourth fewest fires of the decade in 2011-2021 compared to 2022, and the worst of the issue between 2012-2022.
Compared to the decade’s average, 64.82% more hectares have been burned, almost three times more, than the 2012-2022 average. The average number of applications is 10,616, a figure similar to last year’s.
In addition, the fire affected 0.963% of the national surface this year, compared to 0.316% in 2021, or a similar 0.339% of the ten-year average.
worst year since 2011
The data also reflects woodland and scrub and open forest collecting the significant increase in flames, although the grassy area burned in 2022 is similar to the previous year at 19,730,50 hectares (2022) and 19,798.16 hectares (2021), respectively.
Specifically, 115,174.02 hectares burned in 2022, compared to 24,505.88 hectares of wooded area burned in 2021. On the same noteworthy increase line, the area of burning bush and open forest increased from 43,662.05 hectares in 2021 to 133,035.13 hectares in 2022.
As a result, the recently ended fiscal year is by far the worst year since 2011, by close to 50,000 hectares (48,983.05) compared to 2012, when 218,956 hectares burned, the worst year of that period.
By region, the region most affected by the flames was the Northwest, intensifying 44.78% of the claims; This was followed by inland communities with 37.06% and the Mediterranean, where 17.73% of fires occurred. The Canary Islands account for 0.43% of the fires.
Likewise, in the Northwest, 45.14% of affected woodland and 49.04% of woodland burned across Spain; In the interior settlements, 38.34% of the wooded surface and 30.22% of the forested areas were burned; In the Mediterranean, 14.14% of wooded areas and 19.70% of forested areas were burned.
In the Canary Islands, 0.43% of the accidents and 2.38% of the affected woodland nationwide were burned and 1.03% of the forested area was devastated.