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Region of Murcia activates forest fire plan early as wildfires more than double
Forest fires increased by 133% in the first four months of the year compared to 2022 in the Region of Murcia
Almost 50 forest fires have already razed around 200,000 m2 of countryside in the Region of Murcia this year with more than twice as many wildfires as during the same period in 2022.
Unseasonably high temperatures and devastatingly low rainfall has led to a 113% increase in the number of rural blazes during the first five months of 2023, with 49 fires destroying 19.32 hectares. Last year there were 21 wildfires that scorched 4.9 hectares.
In light of the startling figures, Murcia Regional Government has taken precautionary action early, and on Monday May 15, activated the Infomur Plan of Surveillance, Prevention and Fire Fighting which will remain in place until September 30.
At the beginning of April, the regional authorities announced that its Sierra de la Pila helicopter would be launched almost two months early, and now all of the big guns are on alert.
The prevention mechanism is equipped with more than 450 personnel including 66 Civil Protection officers in 31 municipalities, 20 fixed observation points in strategic locations, and a surveillance and coordination helicopter that flies over the region and sends real-time images to the Emergency Coordination Centre.
In addition, firefighting operations are aided by a further three helicopters which, as well as their water unloading capacity, can transport forestry brigades to areas that are difficult to access by land.
These are based in Alcantarilla, Sierra de la Pila (Abarán) and Zarcilla de Ramos (Lorca), in addition to a fourth helicopter bomber, State-owned, based in La Alberquilla (Caravaca de la Cruz).
On the ground, there are 19 forestry brigades, 4 rapid intervention teams, 9 municipal first aid crews, plus firefighters from the Consortium for Fire Fighting and Rescue of the Autonomous Community of Murcia (CEIS), and firefighting services in Murcia and Cartagena.
While heat and lack of rain exacerbate the situation, creating high risk conditions, more than 75% of the forest fires that occurred in the Region in 2022 were sparked by humans, either by negligence or intentionally.
However, the most serious, which occurred in Jumilla last July, was caused by lightning from a summer storm.
Image: Archive
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