Spain in ‘critical situation’ as experts issue warning amid LA wildfires devastation

, which have claimed 26 lives and forced 150,000 to evacuate, highlight a growing concern for populations around the world: urban sprawl into forested areas is increasing the risk of devastating fires.

In Spain, , experts warn that urban-forest interfaces are expanding and amplifying fire threats.

A 2010 study estimated over a million hectares of such land are at risk, and today, experts say the situation has worsened.

Cristina Montiel Molina, a professor at Complutense University, stresses that the risk has doubled as human activities—85% of fires are human-caused—further complicate firefighting efforts.

Ms Montiel Molina explains that people in these areas are often unaware of the risks they face. Inadequate preparedness, combined with growing populations, leaves many residents vulnerable.

“The situation is dire, and I’m not exaggerating,” she told the Spanish publication . Lourdes Hernández, a forest fire expert at WWF, agrees, noting that self-protection programs for residents remain scarce, and there’s no clear mapping of fire risks.

The risk of urban-forest development is not new. A 2006 government report warned that areas like Spain’s Mediterranean coast were particularly vulnerable.

Provinces such as Girona, Barcelona, and Valencia were identified as high-risk zones, but the threat has now spread nationwide. Even Galicia and the Basque Country are now seeing significant development near forests.

Experts criticise the lack of implementing fire risk into urban planning, despite a long history of warnings to do so.

“We continue to build in dangerous areas without considering fire risk,” says Ms Hernández. Ms Montiel Molina adds that disaster management services are aware of the danger, but politically, the issue remains overlooked.

The threat of destruction posed by wildfires is global. In California, . Similarly, in Canada’s 2016 Fort McMurray fire, more than 2,400 homes and vast swathes of land were burned. Climate change, coupled with exacerbating droughts, high temperatures, and strong winds, is fuelling the rise of “mega-fires” that are difficult to contain.

Experts like Josep María Espelta from CREAF suggest solutions such as reintroducing open spaces for cultivation and pastures to help break the continuity of fires. These green spaces could slow fire spread, protecting properties in urban areas like Barcelona’s metropolitan region. “When fire reaches these areas, it will burn more slowly,” he explains.

Meanwhile, Pascale Vacca, a researcher at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, highlights that although Mediterranean homes are built with more fire-resistant materials like concrete, no building materials can offer complete protection.

Fires can still breach homes through windows or roofs, particularly if not maintained. “We lack specific regulations for building in urban-forest interfaces,” he says.

Territorial planning falls under the responsibility of Spain’s regional governments, with the Ministry for Ecological Transition working on a royal decree to map these fire-prone zones. Some, like Montiel Molina, advocate for immediate action, urging local authorities to develop self-protection plans for at-risk areas and for regional governments to limit development in these zones. “We need to act before it’s too late,” she warns.