The area most affected by the fires was the Northwest, which concentrated 44.78% of the claims
The fire devastated 267,939.64 hectares during 2022, which is 180,059.9 hectares more than in 2021, that is, around triple that of last year, according to annual provisional data published by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge that situate the past financial year as the worst of the decade in this decade.
The figure far exceeds the 87,966.09 hectares burned during the year 2021, which registered a decrease of 22.58% compared to the average of the last decade. Specifically, attempted attempts (less than 1 hectare) and 22.77% in the number of fires (more than 1 hectare) decreased, so that it was the fourth year with fewer accidents in the 2011 period. -2021.
Thus, during the year 2022, 10,503 claims were recorded, 15.845% more than in 2021. Specifically, near misses increased more than fires, which only recorded 386 more than the previous year. However, among these there was a notable increase in the number of large forest fires (GIF), those that exceed 500 burned hectares, since during 2022 there were 57, more than triple the 18 of the previous year.
All in all, 2021 closed as the fourth with the least fires of the decade, 2011-2021 compared to 2022, the worst in the matter between 2012-2022.
Compared to the average for the decade, this year 64.82% more hectares burned than the average for the period 2012-2022, practically triple. The average number of claims, however, is 10,616, a figure similar to that of the recent year.
In addition, the fire has affected 0.963% of the national surface this year, compared to 0.316% in 2021 or a similar 0.339% of the decade average.
The worst year since 2011
The data also reflects that while the herbaceous area burned during 2022 was similar to that of the previous year, with 19,730.50 hectares (2022) and 19,798.16 hectares (2021) respectively, the wooded area and scrubland and open forest collected the significant increase in flames.
Specifically, compared to the 24,505.88 hectares of wooded area burned in 2021, in 2022 115,174.02 hectares burned. In the same line of notable increase, the scrubland and open forest area burned grew, which went from 43,662.05 hectares in 2021 to 133,035.13 hectares in 2022.
All in all, the recently ended financial year ranks as the worst by far since 2011, with a difference close to 50,000 hectares (48,983.05) compared to the worst year of that period, which was 2012, when 218,956 hectares burned.
By zones, the most affected by the flames was the Northwest, which concentrated 44.78% of the claims; followed by the interior communities, with 37.06% of the fires and by the Mediterranean, where 17.73% occurred. The Canary Islands, for their part, accounted for 0.43% of the fires.
Along the same lines, in the Northwest 45.14% of the wooded area and 49.04% of the forest area affected throughout Spain were burned; In the interior communities, 38.34% of the wooded surface and 30.22% of the forest areas were burned; and in the Mediterranean, 14.14% of the wooded area and 19.70% of the forest area burned.
In the Canary Islands, with 0.43% of the accidents, 2.38% of the affected wooded area was burned and 1.03% of the forest area devastated in the country as a whole.