Up to 97% of forest fires in Europe are caused by human activity, according to a study focused on the European continent that analyzed the period between 2000 and 2016. The study concluded that 97.5% of forest fires were attributable to human causes, a number significant enough to change how the problem is understood.
Although it is common to associate fires with lightning or random sparks, the reality is quite different, especially in countries like Spain, where the vast majority of fires are linked to human action. The initial spark, however, is not enough to explain the severity of emergency situations.
Climate change is worsening the conditions that allow fires to spread, making them more intense and difficult to control. Heat, drought and dry vegetation are factors that turn a fire started by human activity into a large-scale emergency situation.
