You are right there and Spanish grow up knowing the fire risk. In Ireland people are really careless and because of our history with the rain, many are uneducated when it comes to fire risk. Unfortunately with global warming and more dry periods it will also get worse here and in recent years there was a large fire in Killarney. Some say it was deliberate and others say it was an accident. Ironically the view here is that if it was a camp fire, cigarette or farmer burning gorse, it's just an accident https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/...l-1151701.html

I'm afraid it doesn't look like it. I was also looking at the weather patterns and seems like it might continue, I hope I'm wrong.
https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/...ear-of-drought

Not the best pic but the fire planes were leaving Valencia airport to tackle this last Friday. There were 4 of them, I guess more from Castellon airport too.

The drought is even making headlines in Germany. The Swiss climate expert Dr. David Volken is basically saying we are already seeing apocalyptic scenes and it's one of the worst droughts since records began. Although in German, the pictures really show the problem.
https://www.bild.de/video/clip/news-...6972.bild.html

Even more fires today- Asturias, Cantabrica and Castellón.

We have lots of rain forecast over Easter

Also on Google Maps now

The problem now is the winds that have reignited the fores from last week. Makes you think twice about living surrounded by greenery. There was even one in Guardamar last year and they are building stuff set back from coast on the hill which is where the fire was.

That's the thing and I would never live at the edge of a forest now. We are surrounded by greenery, but are luckily in the urbanisation with two roads between that side and several houses around us. On the other side it's a bigger worry.

Catalonia has a fire risk map, it's also updated on Twitter. Most areas today are at level 2 from 0 to 3 which means e.g. barbeques are banned unless it's a certain type (three walls and a chimney).

We're already supposed to be saving water and there's a ban on watering parks and gardens unless but there's probably going to be more restrictions soon - lower water pressure or no supply during certain times of the day... in April.

Also there's NASA's fire map for an almost realtime view.

Cheers for link. Just looked up and we are currently level 1 for Selva.

Appears fires are also in Valencia region this weekend with one in Altea ( Alicante).

https://www.thelocal.es/20230403/for...ns-and-rescues
Sunday saw a number of forest fires across the Valencia region, with some serious enough to warrant the evacuation of local residents and even, in some cases, the rescue of hikers from nearby hills.

Up to six fires were reported across the region on Sunday, with an orange alert declared for high temperatures, and the blazes affected the areas of Altea, a popular coastal tourist destination in Alicante province, Estivella, Barx, La Pobla de Vallbona, Llíria and Godelleta.

Even the Semana Santa processions are not exempt - two men were injured yesterday evening in the town where I live when one of the tronos in the first procession of the week caught fire. We had been standing right by that spot watching the procession with some family members we had staying with us, and had left just seconds before when they lowered the trono for a rest stop.

Una vela incendia la Virgen del Rocío en la procesión de Vélez-Málaga: hay dos heridos por intentar sofocar el fuego con sus manos (20minutos.es)

Looks like the candles set fire to the Virgin's robes and the fire was going to engulf the statue, before the cofradia members stepped in and seem to have put it out, before the fire could spread to the throne (made of wood).