The word superfires is a new concept that emerged from environmentalist organizations to refer to a new type of massive forest fires. They occur in the context of climate change, desertification, extended heat waves, extended droughts and low humidity, rural depopulation, abandoned land, lack of or deficient forest management, and a human culture of fire, among others. The accumulation of these socio-cultural, environmental, weather, and bioclimatic characteristics is conducive to fires that fire-fighting teams cannot control.
These types of fires create their own ventilation system which intensifies and ignites them. This makes them more extensive, unpredictable, and unmanageable. They occur in contexts that make managing the fire more difficult and create a fire crisis that cannot be managed. This, in turn, puts the ecosystems and the population at risk because of their high accident rates.
These types of fires create their own ventilation system which intensifies and ignites them. This makes them more extensive, unpredictable, and unmanageable. They occur in contexts that make managing the fire more difficult and create a fire crisis that cannot be managed. This, in turn, puts the ecosystems and the population at risk because of their high accident rates.
References:
Hernández, L. y cols. (2020). El planeta en llamas. Propuesta ibérica de WWF para la prevención de incendios. WWF España y ANP|WWF.
Encuesta y grupos focales consultados para la elaboración de este reflexionario.
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