These are the new technologies that the Spanish and French are using to fight against terrible fires

Extreme heat and abnormally dry weather, which prepared the vegetation for burning, further fueled the fires. The same phenomenon, greatly stimulated by climate change, is happening all over the world. Faced with an increasing number of megafires raging across the planet, firefighters are looking for new tools to fight the fiery element. This includes efforts in Spain, where the country has developed or tested technological innovations to prevent, detect and contain forest fires.

Dramatic situation across Europe

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned of the seriousness of the situation affecting neighboring countries, stressing that all available resources are deployed to manage the crisis in the cities of Ávila, León, Toledo, Madrid and other parts of the country.

​- We are faced with a dramatic situation, not only in various Spanish provinces, but also and in the regions of neighboring countries – emphasized Sánchez.

France was also hit by huge fires that created their own meteorological conditions. According to the European Forest Fire Information System, in those two countries, the fire consumed more than 300,000 hectares, and hundreds of thousands of people were forced to evacuate. Fires in Spain burned twice the area of ​​the annual average, while in France this year’s fire season was six times more destructive than usual.

Technological innovations in fire fighting

As more and more megapoisons appear on the horizon, experts are turning to technology to find more effective ways to combat them.

Ecofire

Riverč is about a biodegradable liquid that consists of various hundred percent organic substances in a water-based formula. In extinguishing fires, it is up to 40 times more effective than ordinary water, and it works six to ten times faster. The product can also be applied preventively to vegetation to create an insulating layer that blocks heat and oxygen and prevents combustion at temperatures of 100 degrees Celsius or higher.

Predifire

Once a forest fire breaks out, fighting it becomes much more difficult. Therefore, better forecasts are key so that resources are not wasted unnecessarily. Predifire is an early warning system for forest fires, developed with the support of the University of Córdoba and Automatismos ITEA and Somnum Technologies. This technology combines artificial intelligence, sensors and autonomous drones to identify fire outbreaks while they are still small, covering an area of ​​only a few hectares. The goal is to reduce reaction time and enable early intervention.

Without Fire

Other surveillance systems are under development. Among them is SenForFire, a European project in which the Spanish National Research Council, the University of Extremadura and various Spanish companies participate. Its goal is to strengthen prevention and early detection through wireless networks of inexpensive smart sensors. These devices detect and measure combustion-related gases, environmental variables, and weather conditions in real time to identify signs that predict fire initiation or progression.

A model for assessing the spread of fire

This artificial intelligence model, developed by Spanish researchers with funding from the Ministry of Science and Innovation, uses neural networks to analyze atmospheric variables and a vegetation greenness index based on satellite images. Using this information, it estimates how far the fire could spread, how long it would take to bring it under control, and how many ground, human and air resources would be needed to respond to an emergency in high-risk areas.

Tools available to citizens

In addition to efforts to fight fires, there are also tools, many of which are larger. available, which can help the Spanish public stay safe. The government has an official Civil Protection application for accessing information about emergency situations, warning maps and emergency services.

Google Maps has a layer that can trigger emergency alerts and show the perimeters of forest fires in Spain. There is also Incendios España, a real-time map platform that uses satellite data to show the locations of active forest fires across the country.