The Provincial Firefighters Consortium of Cádiz (CBPC) has initiated a public awareness campaign focused on the risk of vegetation fires, particularly forest, agricultural, and urban-wildland interface fires. Under the slogan ‘The fire starts before the flames. Do not start the disaster,’ the initiative highlights that the origin of many fires lies in prior decisions and oversights, not just in the appearance of flames.
The campaign aims to shift the focus of the fire from the wilderness to the initial imprudent action, promoting prevention, caution, and shared responsibility during the high-risk summer months. The representative image depicts a sooty hand holding an unlit matchstick, symbolizing that damage begins before the fire is visible.
During 2025, the CBPC carried out 12,102 interventions, of which 3,724 were fires (31%). Vegetation and forest fires accounted for 1,400 actions (37.6% of all fires and 11.6% of the CBPC's total activity), representing a significant increase compared to the 937 recorded in 2024.
The months with the highest incidence were July (298 vegetation fires), followed by August (262) and June (204). The Campiña and Sierra regions registered the highest incidence with 851 actions, compared to 300 in the Bahía de Cádiz area and 250 in Campo de Gibraltar.
The Consortium's president, José Ortiz, recalled that the peak activity for these types of fires typically occurs between June 15 and July 15, and that approximately 65% of annual forest fires happen during the summer months. He appealed for collective responsibility, urging caution during outdoor activities and near rural areas, as most incidents are of human origin, whether intentional or accidental.
The CBPC emphasizes basic recommendations such as not starting fires in unauthorized areas, avoiding machinery near dry vegetation, properly extinguishing cigarette butts, not discarding trash, keeping plots clear of dry vegetation, and respecting restrictions. In case of any risk or uncontrolled fire, people are urged to call 112 or 085 immediately.
With over 500 personnel distributed across 20 stations in the province of Cádiz, the Firefighters Consortium is always alert and prepared to protect citizens from fires, but preventing carelessness is a shared task to safeguard lives, homes, and the natural environment.
