The July 9 wildfire in Los Gallardos – in Almería, eastern Andalusia – was a tragedy with a huge human and social impact. Beyond the provisional figures of dead, missing and injured and the specific circumstances – which are yet to be confirmed by an official investigation – the fire raises a broader question: are we still using the right indicators to measure the severity of forest fires?

Traditionally, fire seasons have been assessed mainly on the number of fires recorded, the area burnt, and the fire service’s ability to control the flames. These indicators are still essential, but they are not enough when fires reach inhabited areas and directly endanger the population.

Against a backdrop of climate change and land-use pressures, the main aim of emergency management is no longer to simply extinguish the fire by deploying technical resources. It must also ensure that there are no fatalities.

Official data from INFOCA, the Andalusian Regional Government’s forest fire prevention programme, show that the region has been actively managing fires over the last five years.

Between 2021 and 2025, the number of forestry operations ranged from 613 to 876 per year, with no clear upward trend. Similarly, the percentage of fires contained at an early stage remained high, ranging from 75.5% to 82%. This means that roughly four out of every five fires were brought under control before they spread beyond one hectare.

However, the size of the fires varied much more widely. While in 2023 just 1,827 hectares were burnt, in 2022 the figure exceeded 15,500. Several large forest fires accounted for most this difference.

This behaviour highlights a widely observed feature of........

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