The Spanish Society of Public Health and Health Administration (SESPAS) demands a stable fire prevention strategy, well-coordinated, based on scientific evidence, with multi-year funding and that places public health as the central axis of the institutional response.
According to provisional data from the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, between January 1 and July 27, 2026, 172,396 hectares of forest land have burned, almost six times more than the 29,817 recorded in the same period of 2025. In that same interval, 35 large wildfires have occurred, compared to the 11 counted during those dates the previous year.
In light of this scenario, SESPAS emphasizes the need to act preventively and not limit itself to intervening when the fire has already been declared. It reminds that no extinguishing device can compensate on its own for decades of neglect of rural areas, accumulation of flammable biomass, and poor planning.
The entity proposes moving towards adaptive forest management, recovering mosaic landscapes, strengthening extensive livestock farming, agriculture, and grazing, protecting inhabited areas and critical infrastructures, and integrating the risk of fires into urban planning.
In this framework, SESPAS highlights that health must be considered an essential pillar. It insists that the damage from fires is not limited to the burned areas, as smoke can travel hundreds of kilometers, worsen respiratory diseases, increase the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory episodes, and irritate eyes and airways.
The most vulnerable groups include the elderly, pregnant women, children, patients with chronic conditions, homeless individuals, and exposed workers, as noted by the Spanish Society of Epidemiology (SEE) in a position statement.
To these impacts are added burns, trauma, interruption of medical treatments, forced displacements, loss of homes and jobs, anxiety, grief processes, and prolonged consequences on mental health.
For this reason, SESPAS urges to reinforce real-time monitoring of PM2.5 particles, implement clear and accessible public alert systems, agree on common health protocols, enable shelters with clean air, guarantee the continuity of treatments, and carry out epidemiological monitoring of immediate and long-term effects.
"Spain cannot normalize that every summer translates into loss of lives, massive evacuations, unbreathable air, and devastated territories. The response must be firm, supportive, and scientific: protect today the exposed population and transform from tomorrow the conditions that fuel large fires," they have asserted from SESPAS.
The scientific society concludes by showing its solidarity with the deceased, injured, evacuated, and confined individuals, with the affected communities, and with those participating in firefighting efforts, healthcare, civil protection, and social support. Additionally, it offers its expertise to collaborate in risk assessment, epidemiological monitoring, communication with citizens, and the development of protocols.