Incident analysis of traditional burns in Portugal

• Published in: International journal of disaster risk reduction 2023-09, Vol.95, p.103852, Article 103852
• Main Authors: de Oliveira, Emanuel, Lobo-do-Vale, Raquel, Colaço, Maria Conceição
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: elderly; farmers; Fatalities; Fire use; gender; Huddled agriculture and forestry leftovers; Injuries; law enforcement; Legislative pressure; meteorological data; Portugal; risk; risk reduction; Rural population; Slash-burn; Traditional fire; vegetation; Wildfire prevention; wildfires
• ISSN: 2212-4209; 2212-4209
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103852

In Portugal, each year, the news typically report one or two cases of elderly farmer fatalities or injuries. However, in 2018, a startling 20 incidents were documented. This study aims to analyse the various factors that may account for this unusual surge in the numbers. To gather comprehensive and organized data on the incidents, a meticulous review of both regional and national news sources was conducted from 2008 to 2021. This enabled the collection of various variables, including date, location, gender, age, and other pertinent information. Additionally, meteorological data related to wildfire risk, sociodemographic indices, and the legislative context were also incorporated to provide a more complete understanding of the incidents. Between 2008 and 2021, a total of 54 incidents were recorded, with fatalities accounting for 78% of cases. The exceptional rise in incidents in 2018 constituted 37% of the total incidents. The majority of incidents involved elderly individuals (82%) and were primarily males (80%). March and October were the months when most incidents occurred. After conducting meteorological, social, and legislative analyses, it was found that the primary driver behind the dramatic increase in incidents in 2018 was most probably the intense pressure to manage the vegetation, due to an impending deadline for fuel reductions, along with stricter inspections and law enforcement that doubled the fines for non-compliance. •Between 2008 and 2021 there were 54 incidents of fire use, mainly with slash-burns.•The year 2018 concentrates 37% of all the incidents analyzed.•The victims were mostly male and above 65 years old.•Neither meteorology nor sociodemographic indices explain the spiked 2018 number.•Legislation and social pressure for fuel reduction could explain 2018 incidents.