In recent decades, forest fires in Portugal and Spain have reached unprecedented levels, with these two countries registering the largest burnt areas in Europe. Intentional arson is one of the main causes of fire. The investigation by Divergente and El Confidencial tried to see the reasons behind. The findings are presented in a variety of formats, from podcasts to text to interactive maps.
In Portugal, 28% of fires in 2022 were caused by arsonists; and in Spain, fires with ‘pathological or senseless’ causes accounted for 20% of all fires. The preliminary analysis by the journalists showed that fires caused by arsonists were becoming increasingly more common on Iberian Peninsula. The team decided to try and find out what drives the arsoninsts to start fires, without labelling them as neither criminals nor victims.
Divergente and El Confidencial decided to start with the official figures about arson that are published every year in Portugal and Spain. After two years of research, they found out that there was a lack of comparable data about fires in the European Union (EU).
In 2013, the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) produced a code table to harmonize all causes of fire across different countries which, in theory, should have made such comparisons possible. However, it turned out that in practice EFFIS did not provide information with a sufficient level of detail to allow for an in-depth analysis, so the team had to rely on the classification systems used by each country. These systems are not directly comparable, and in some cases — such as Spain — the most recent available data dates back as far as 2016.
But some important conclusions could be drawn even with this incomplete data: Portugal is the country that burned the most across the EU, in absolute and relative terms. 16.05% of Portugal’s territory burned in the last 12 years, according to the data collected by EFFIS. In second place other southern states follow: Greece (3.8%), Italy (3.2%), Croatia (3%), Spain (2.8%) and Cyprus (2.7%). The percentage of burned area in the remaining countries is lower than 1%.
Further on, Divergente and El Confidencial sought insights from those compiling fire statistics and managing firefighting efforts. In Spain, despite extensive data collection, information is often fragmented. It is a bog obstacle for a thorough analysis of fire causes, particularly when it comes to arson. El Confidencial focused on Hermisende, a village in the Sanabria mountains frequently affected by wildfires, to illustrate the challenges posed by data gaps and limited resources in fire prevention.
On the contrary, Portugal turned out to be an exception among other countries: the information collected there about fires is quite consistent. The Portuguese Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF), publishes information annually about all fires occurring during that year with variables that include, but are not limited to, the date, time, location and cause. Divergente could conclude that arson is the leading cause of burned area in Portugal, responsible for more than 50% of the land burned between 2011 and 2023.
With this information, Divergente decided to speak to the people publishing the statistics and with those responsible for firefighting measures. And also to speak with arsonists. To hear the stories of as many people as possible, from different regions throughout the country. To paint a polyphonic portrait and not just focus on one particular case. Doing this was a lot easier than it was imagined at the beginning— there were people willing to talk all over the place. In the end, Divergente tells a story of a country that abandoned a large part of its territory and its people. And in that portrait, no one comes out well.
Portugal burns more than any other country in the European Union, and the leading cause of those fires is arson.
In this podcast which is the results of this investigation the listener travels the length of Portugal to try to understand what drives people to leave their house and, for no apparent reason, set fire to everything around them. What comes is the story of a country that abandoned a large part of its territory and its people. And in the portrait painted by the journalists, no one comes out well.
Episode 1. Portugal is Calling
The numbers show that arson is the leading cause of rural land area burned in Portugal. A reality that Portuguese policymakers in charge of fire reduction seem to shy away from.
Episode 2. Herostratus in the Algarve Mountains
In Caldeirão and Monchique, we heard the stories of people found guilty of arson. Lives marked by tragedy and desperation in which fire often emerges as a last resort, a cry to say “I’m still here”.
Episode 3. Eucalyptus abandoned
Herders accused of arson and people who study fire help us to understand the abandonment of the Portuguese countryside and the uncontrolled growth of vegetation in the Central Region. A forensic psychologist, who has decades of experience investigating the matter, paints a picture of Portuguese arson.
Episode 4. Hell on Earth
Many of those found guilty of arson have mental health problems. We reveal the dark side of imprisoning these people, the procedural errors, the bureaucratic abuses. And how a lack of responses from the State can mean the end of someone’s life.
Episode 5. The righteous paid for the sinner
Dália’s case rises from among the chaos and speculation about the origin of the Pedrógão Grande fire. A woman with schizophrenia who, having set a fire near her house, was detained and found guilty. And caught up by an amendment to the law that changed the rules on custodial sentences for arsonists deemed unfit to stand trial.
Episode 6. Burning Lines
The cause of the large fire in the Serra de Monchique, in 2018, is still unknown. A long investigation by the Portuguese Judicial Police concluded that the fire broke out after an electrical cable caught a tree. They charged EDP (the company that, at the time, was responsible for energy provision throughout Portugal), but the judge responsible decided to close the case.