More than 500 hectares of vegetation burned in a fire in Spain after abnormally high temperatures

Around 180 people were evacuated in the municipalities of Parcent and Tárbena, in the Valencia region, authorities announced.

Fueled by exceptional temperatures, a fire has devastated more than 500 hectares of vegetation in the south-east of Spain, local authorities announced on Monday April 15. The fire also prompted the evacuation “around 180 people” in the municipalities of Parcent and Tárbena, in the Valencia region, explained the region’s prefect, Pilar Bernabé, on public television.

The fire broke out on Sunday in Tárbena. Fire “is still active” after a night “complicated” for the firefighters, explained the regional emergency services on the social network °C.

In the country, 30°C was exceeded on Saturday in 65 stations of the Spanish meteorological agency (Aemet), particularly in the North, where temperatures are generally lower. According to Aemet, the frequency of heat episodes has tripled over the past ten years in Spain, a consequence of global warming caused by human activities.

Since the 19th century, the Earth’s average temperature has warmed by 1.1°C. Scientists have established with certainty that this increase is due to human activities, which consume fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas). This warming, unprecedented in its speed, threatens the future of our societies and biodiversity. But solutions – renewable energies, sobriety, reduced meat consumption – exist. Discover our answers to your questions about the climate crisis.