“CLIMATE CHAOS”
“We must not only react when these fires happen, we must prevent” as climate change makes civil protection emergencies “increasingly frequent”, Sanchez said in the municipality of Turre.
He cited better protection of municipalities and training courses for young people on how to react.
Moreno, added that citizens could respond more quickly to the sighting of smoke, the “suspicious attitudes” of possible arsonists and official warnings.
The inferno spread at up to 100 metres (330 feet) per minute at its peak last week, trapping victims in their vehicles or on foot as they tried to flee.
The authorities have spoken of the possibility that some victims did not heed warnings in time.
The authorities suspect the wildfire began when a power line broke, setting fire to vegetation that had been parched after hot weather that pushed temperatures above 40C.
Scientists say climate change caused by humans burning fossil fuels is making extreme weather events such as heatwaves, which contribute to wildfires, more likely and more intense.
“Here climate change is having a very big impact, and we are in a state of climate chaos with situations that are practically unheard of, exceptional and increasingly explosive,” said Moreno.
Deadly wildfires devoured almost 400,000 hectares of land in Spain last year, the highest figure recorded for the country by the European Forest Fire Information System.
