Vast majority of forest fires in Malaga province are controlled quickly due to rapid response of region's Plan Infoca brigade

Forest fires are at the centre of the media and political agenda this summer in Spain. The devastation has spread across a large portion of the Spanish mainland, along with controversies raging around the means and public services available for their prevention, control and extinction. In Orense, for example, 10% of the province's land area has burned by wildfires in recent weeks. That is alarming. There are more problems in Castilla León and Madrid. In Andalucía, there have been serious problems with the blazes, especially in Tarifa. Nevertheless, statistics indicate that swift action prevents major tragedies in most cases. According to data provided by the Junta de Andalucía to SUR, so far this year in Malaga province, 81.82% of wildfire outbreaks have been quickly extinguished.

A 'conato' in Spanish is a fire that has started up, a fire outbreak, but one that can be easily prevented from spreading and can be controlled by relatively simple means. Another way to measure them is to determine that the area affected by the fire amounts to less than one hectare. As of 19 August, 54 outbreaks had been recorded in Malaga. The total number of forest fires had risen to 65. Across the entire region of Andalucía, there have been 789 incidents in which the Plan Infoca brigade has had to intervene.

The wildfire risk map is currently at red for most of the province, although the status is green on the Axarquia coast, according to the website of the regional government's emergency agency.

To understand the complexity of forest firefighting, several issues must be understood. Plan Infoca is a regional initiative and therefore its personnel, material resources and infrastructure are adapted to meet the needs of each moment. That is why there is always talk of global resource allocations and budgets.

Another factor that must be addressed is the importance of advanced weather forecasting resources. Fires are becoming increasingly complex and more easily out of control. The changing rainfall patterns greatly alter the scenario that the firefighting specialists have to face. In Malaga we have gone from a six-year drought to a recent hydrological year characterised by a series of storms and floods that, on the one hand, have reduced the strain on water supplies but, on the other, have increased the combustible mass that has grown on the land.

So, how has firefighting evolved in recent years? The province of Malaga closed last year's season of maximum risk of forest fires with 85 interventions in the province: 20 forest fires and 65 outbreaks. The rapid mobilisation of firefighters following an alarm call meant that 76.5% of the fires remained as minor outbreaks. The average for the last few years is 80% so, with the maths in mind and with two months of high risk still remaining, this season has gone somewhat better than the norm.

In the province, 225.82 hectares were burned last summer: 14.87 hectares were wooded and 210.94 hectares were scrubland.

Over the last decade, the affected area has decreased by 86%. The analysis period is broad enough to determine that the deployment of resources is adequate in a province that has experienced tragedies such as those of Barranco Blanco, Sierra Bermeja and the multiple wildfires in the Sierra de Mijas.

This year, Plan Infoca has had the largest ever deployment of resources at its disposal, with significant progress: the entire fleet of transport vehicles has been renewed, personnel are active year-round and work on a new forest defence centre in Sierra de las Nieves is nearing completion. Lastly, it has also had its largest ever budget: 257 million euros, of which 111 million euros are for firefighting and 146 million euros are for fire-prevention work, with a year-on-year increase of over 5%.

Plan Infoca also confirmed that a good number (75%) of the fire engines have also been replaced, an outlay of 25.4 million euros. The other news is that Plan Infoca has now been integrated into the EMA (Andalucía's emergency management agency), which reports to the regional ministry for the presidency, and has acquired 282 new vehicles in four years with a budget of 20 million euros.

The total number of Plan Infoca personnel in the region is 5,000.

The scheme was activated ahead of the start of the high-risk period for forest fires, which began on 1 June and will last until 15 October. To this end, it has a network of facilities spread throughout Andalucía, with air and ground resources, such as the Cártama BRICA brigade near Malaga city and the forest defence centres in Ronda and Colmenar.

These will soon be joined by the Cedefo Costa del Sol forest defence centre, located between Istán and Marbella. Construction is 75% complete. It represents an investment of 4.6 million euros co-financed with EAFRD funds (European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development) and will provide greater protection to the Sierra de las Nieves National Park and nearby coastal towns.