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Spain announced that a national emergency in the region of Madrid and the province of Ávila due to the spread of wildfires. With the fires still burning out of control, this year is shaping up to be one of the worst wild fire seasons recorded in this region.
“We are facing a serious problem, not only in different regions of Spain but also in neighboring countries,” warned the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez. He also said that “all available resources” have been sent to assist the emergency services in the cities of Ávila, León, Toledo, Madrid, and other areas of the country in the event of emergencies.
France has also been affected by the wildfires which have brought their own weather. All told, the two countries have seen fires burn more than 741,000 hectares, according to the European Forest Fire Information System, and hundreds of thousands have been forced to evacuate. Wildfires in Spain have been twice as hot as the average for the year, while in France, this year’s fire season has caused six times more damage than usual.
The hot weather has helped make the fire more difficult because the dry weather causes the vegetation to burn. The same thing is happening all over the world, especially because of climate change. With more and more megafires, firefighters are looking for new tools to fight them. This includes efforts in Spain, where the country has developed or tested technologies to prevent, detect, and control forest fires.
Ecofire
These are biodegradable liquids, made of various materials 100 percent in water. It is 40 times more fire extinguishing than water, while it reacts nine times 10 times faster. The product can also be used in plant protection to create a barrier that blocks heat and air and prevents combustion at temperatures of 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher.
Prefire
When wildfires break out, they are difficult to fight. This makes better forecasting necessary to ensure that things don’t spread too much. Predifire is early warning system for forest fires with the support of the University of Córdoba and the companies Automatismos ITEA and Somnum Technologies. The technology combines artificial intelligence, sensors, and autonomous drones to detect wildfires when they are only a few acres away. The aim is to reduce response time and facilitate early intervention.
Without Fire
Other monitoring systems are also being developed. They include SenForFire, a European project involving the Spanish National Research Council, the University of Extremadura, and various Spanish companies. It aims to promote prevention and early detection through wireless networks of low-cost smart sensors. These devices detect and measure, in real time, combustion-related emissions, environmental changes, and weather conditions to identify indicators that predict the onset or progression of a fire.
Wildfire Assessment Model
Developed by Spanish researchers with funding from the Ministry of Science and Innovation, this AI model uses neural networks to analyze changes in the atmosphere and show how green plants react to satellite images. Using this information, it estimates how far a fire can spread, how long it will take to bring it under control, and how much land, people, and air resources will be needed to control the fire in the most vulnerable areas.
Tools For People
Beyond firefighting efforts, there are tools, including many that are now available, that can help Spaniards stay safe. The government has official Civil Protection program for emergency information, warning maps, and emergency assistance.
Google Maps has a feature that can trigger emergency alerts and show the surrounding wildfires in Spain. There is also Spanish fire, a real-time map that shows the location of wildfires across the country using satellite data.
This article appeared first WIRED in Spanish and translated from Spanish.
