# More Than 150 Wildfires Burn Across Northern Spain



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

WTF??
Who, What and Why?
https://www.thespainreport.com/arti...than-150-wildfires-burn-across-northern-spain



> The regional government said in a statement on Saturday night that it had declared a Level Two forest fire alert in the region "because of the simultaneous nature of the forest fires".
> Regional government spokesman Guillermo Martínez told local reporters "everything seems to indicate* the fires have been started on purpose*".


More up to date info in Spanish
http://www.elmundo.es/espana/2015/12/20/5676681f22601d68278b464f.html


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

Pesky Wesky said:


> WTF??
> Who, What and Why?
> https://www.thespainreport.com/arti...than-150-wildfires-burn-across-northern-spain
> 
> ...



The speculation is: Las comunidades autónomas podrán recalificar los terrenos tras un fuego | España | EL PAÃ�S


All I know is that it's been tough to breathe all weekend. I spotted the first fire in the area as I drove home after work on Thursday. It was in the area of La Virgen de las Nieves if you know where I'm talking about. It's insane. I wish the government would do more to catch and punish these guys; in some cases it's really clear who is doing it. Many start these fires to make their grazing land more fertile.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

elenetxu said:


> The speculation is: Las comunidades autónomas podrán recalificar los terrenos tras un fuego | España | EL PAÃ�S
> 
> 
> All I know is that it's been tough to breathe all weekend. I spotted the first fire in the area as I drove home after work on Thursday. It was in the area of La Virgen de las Nieves if you know where I'm talking about. It's insane. I wish the government would do more to catch and punish these guys; in some cases it's really clear who is doing it. Many start these fires to make their grazing land more fertile.


A few years ago in this area it was supposed that many intentional fires were started because after a fire rural land was possibly re qualified as land that could be built on, but the law was changed (under Zapatero I think) and as the article states


> sigue prohibido construir durante 30 años en áreas quemadas.


I don't really understand the ammendment that the PP has made permitting the requalification of land


> cuando concurran razones imperiosas de interés público de primer orden


Whatever, these attacks sound like it was a coordinated action across the north of Spain - for any (twisted) purpose or just piromaniacs??


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Well, if they were started deliberately the perpetrators should be burnt at the stake. However, on another thread we are all going on about the unseasonally warm weather, but when you get high temperatures, no rain for months and sudden high winds, such fires are an inevitable consequence.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Alcalaina said:


> Well, if they were started deliberately the perpetrators should be burnt at the stake. However, on another thread we are all going on about the unseasonally warm weather, but when you get high temperatures, no rain for months and sudden high winds, such fires are an inevitable consequence.


But how likely is it that 150 fires break out within days?
The fire authorities are treating at least some of them as suspicious, 100 in Asturias and those of Cantabria


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## olivefarmer (Oct 16, 2012)

saw these from plane coming back to Southern Spain on Wednesday night.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

We had a fire-raiser during the summer - he was caught and sentenced to jail.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Photo that was posted on Twitter with the comment
Last night this is what we lost









This video shows many of the fires burning. If you don't want to see it all go to around 1 minute to 1:15
Absolutely tragic
Imágenes aéreas del incendio de El Franco, Vídeos de Asturias en La Nueva España


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

Cantabria is still burning.

Why? Read the last two paragraphs: http://m.eldiariomontanes.es/cantab...a-pide-refuerzos-estado-20151227000134-v.html It's pretty infuriating. To the best of my knowledge, none of the folks in my town have set fires yet. However, there have been plenty to our south and west. It has been tough to breathe and see!


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## Mitch1717 (Nov 7, 2014)

That is so sad to see all that beauty burn.


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

...and there's now a fire just over a mile from my place. 

This is insane.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

elenetxu said:


> ...and there's now a fire just over a mile from my place.
> 
> This is insane.


Interesting to read te reason given in the article.
Keep safe elenetxu!

However I still don't know how/ why there were 150 fires at the same time over such a widespread area because that would imply that they were co ordinated, wouldn't it?


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Interesting to read te reason given in the article.
> Keep safe elenetxu!
> 
> However I still don't know how/ why there were 150 fires at the same time over such a widespread area because that would imply that they were co ordinated, wouldn't it?



Update: There are now at least FIVE fires within eyesight from my house. 

150 fires at the same time? Sure sounds like monkey see, monkey do to me. I know I'm being rude, but I don't think the idiots who are setting these fires are smart enough to coordinate.


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