Skip to main content

Forest fires

Forest fires Catalonia. 1997
Value Variation (%)
Fires (number) 672 45.1
Affected area (hectares) 923.0 -10.0
With trees 625 17.7
With no trees 298 -39.8
% over the total forest area 0.05 .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available
Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food.
(..) Confidential data, low reliability or not available.
Forest fires Spain. 1997
Value Variation (%)
Fires (number) 22,479 34.0
Affected area (hectares) 88,284.0 47.6
With trees 21,871 107.5
With no trees 66,413 34.8
% over the total forest area 0.38 .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available
Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment.
(..) Confidential data, low reliability or not available.

Last update: March 30, 2012. Revised series on February 8, 2019.

Methodological note

The information on forest fires consists of the number of fires registered annually and also the total area affected, specifying whether this area was forested or not.

As for the causes of these fires, they can be classified into five general categories:

  • Accidental: trains, power lines, military operations, motors
  • Intentional
  • Natural
  • Negligent: landfills, crop/pasture burning, camp-fires, smokers, forestry work
  • Unknown