Spain wildfires: with 13 dead, we need to start measuring fire damage in lives – not just hectares

By Fernando Medina Morales, Profesor de Geografía, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

The July 9 wildfire in Los Gallardos – in Almería, eastern Andalusia – was a tragedy with a huge human and social impact. Beyond the provisional figures of dead, missing and injured and the specific circumstances – which are yet to be confirmed by an official investigation – the fire raises a broader question: are we still using the right indicators to measure the severity of forest fires?

Traditionally, fire seasons have been assessed mainly on the number of fires recorded, the area burnt, and the fire service’s…

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