Forest fires are a serious ecological, social, and economic problem. Knowing when and where they occur, their extent, the vegetation they affect, and, above all, why they occur and who or what causes them is essential to preventing them, protecting ourselves from fires, and preserving our forest heritage.

In Spain, an average of 15,647 fires occur each year, two-thirds of which are near-misses, meaning they affect an area of less than 1 hectare. Near-misses do not cause significant damage, and the areas they affect usually recover naturally; however, they are still significant.

For this reason, since the middle of the last century, the Spanish State has been compiling the General Statistics on Forest Fires (EGIF) , compiling information obtained by the autonomous communities on all fires that occur annually in their territories.

For each fire, no matter how small, a Forest Fire Report is completed. Once compiled, these are used to compile the annual Statistics, which are made available to forestry administrations, institutions, research centers, universities, NGOs, the media, and the general public as a basic source of information for understanding the fire phenomenon. This enormous undertaking allows us to understand the problem in all its complexity, analyze its dimensions and specificities (temporal, geographic, socioeconomic, etc.), and design the most appropriate measures to reduce or minimize its effects.

Did you know that 95% of forest fires in Spain are caused by human activities? A quarter are due to accidents and negligence, but more than half of all fires that occur each year are started intentionally. Approximately 4% are naturally occurring, due to lightning. This distribution of causes varies from region to region, which is why the data is analyzed by grouping similar areas in terms of the cause of the fires.

Although the season of greatest risk is summer, fires occur year-round. In fact, in certain areas of the north and northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, numerous fires often occur in late winter. In the last decade for which data is available (2004-2013), August was the month with the highest incidence of fires, followed by March. In 2013, there were only three days without fires, while September 4th recorded the highest number of simultaneous fires, with 173 active fires across the country.

The simultaneous occurrence of fires, as well as large forest fires—those affecting more than 500 hectares—are the highest-risk situations, posing the greatest danger to people, property, and ecosystems. Early detection, rapid response, and the coordination of all regional and national operations are essential to reducing damage once a fire has started. However, prior actions that foster adequate socioeconomic conditions in the forest environment, proper land-use planning, specific prevention efforts, and public awareness are essential to prevent fires from occurring.

In addition to coordinating the compilation of statistics, the Ministry deploys a fire defense operation throughout the country and throughout the year, supporting the autonomous communities in extinguishing fires and also carrying out various prevention efforts. Through daily action reports , the risk map prepared with AEMET, and provisional statistics , it provides the latest information on what is happening in the fight against forest fires throughout Spain.

Preventing forest fires begins with understanding them. Only by gathering as much information as possible about fires can we reduce their incidence. Here you can learn the key figures on this complex and serious problem that threatens our forests and life in our country.