Lightning strike forest fires are on the rise

Regional government is working with state weather agency to predict impact zones

LIGHTNING causes more than a quarter of all the forest fires which occur in the Valencia region, according to a report published by the regional government.

Fire prevention experts studied all the fires in the countryside reported between 2007 and 2017.

In each of the years, between 15% and 39% of the blazes were started by lightning strikes, making a total of more than 800.

A spokesman from the regional department for emergencies said that one of the effects of climate change is that storms which produce lighting are on the increase.

As a result the regional government is working more closely with state weather agency AEMET to ‘make advances in the detection of where strikes are likely to occur’ in forested areas.

The spokesman noted that it is fundamental to carry out effective fire prevention work and keep watch over vulner- able areas.

He explained that fires started by lightning can appear almost immediately or may take several days to fully ignite.

This depends on a number of variables including the po- tency of the strike, weather conditions, temperatures and the condition of the vegetation and soil nearby.

He noted that last week’s devastating fire in the south of Valencia province was caused by a lightning strike which took several hours to turn into a fire.

These delayed blazes can lead investigators to suspect arson if a person is in an area where a fire suddenly breaks out, added the spokesman.

However, he noted that forest fire investigation teams (GOIIF) in the Valencia region are very experienced and carry out their work in a painstaking manner to ‘ensure that no one would have to pay for a fire which was an act of nature’.

The regional government is currently revising its forecasting network to ensure they have the optimum service for detecting lighting strikes.

They currently have two forest observation posts – in Chelva (Valencia) and Pina de Montalgrao (Castellón) – which detect when storms are forming in those areas.

Two more are about to open at Moluengo in Villargordo del Cabriel and in the Sierra Martés in Yátova, and there are eight more which are under consideration.

During the 10-year period studied, the worst year for fires started by lightning was 2015, when they accounted for 39% of all reported blazes. The lowest number of 15% was in 2012 and last year it was 24%.