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Galicia Approves Expanded Wildfire Plan With More Crews, Aircraft and 241 Cameras

The early rollout signals a shift to faster detection with stronger command after last year’s record burn.

Overview

  • Galicia’s government approved an updated Pladiga on Monday, sending the wildfire plan to the Consello Forestal this week for debate and earlier deployment than in past years.
  • Staffing will rise with 42 four-person brigades during peak risk months, adding 168 firefighters, and the large‑fire command unit will expand from six to fifteen specialists.
  • The surveillance network will grow about 30% to 241 forest cameras backed by smoke‑detection AI, with more drones including three high‑end models provided under an Abanca–Afundación agreement.
  • Air support will add fixed‑wing planes and a helicopter, with a heavy helicopter planned, while ground capacity expands with 18 new heavy machines and 16 bulldozers plus ongoing works at the Lalín helicopter base and the Valga aerodrome.
  • A citizen app to report fires with exact location is slated for the start of the high‑risk campaign, and prevention funding has doubled to €75 million for biomass clearing through council agreements after nearly 120,000 hectares burned in 2025.