The Balearic Islands enter a summer of maximum risk with six fires in two days

PalmaThe start of summer has been marked by fire in the Balearic Islands. In just two days, the archipelago has registered six forest fires, while much of Mallorca and areas of Menorca remain at maximum alert level for fire risk.

The personnel of the Balearic Institute of Nature (Ibanat), together with the firefighters of Mallorca and Ibiza, have had to intervene since Sunday in various hotspots spread across the Islands, coinciding with an episode of intense heat that has left temperatures of up to 38 degrees in some locations.

This Monday, almost all of Mallorca —except for the Llevant peninsula— and the west of Menorca are at alert level 4, the highest, which implies a "very high or extreme" risk of forest fire and the prohibition of any type of burning. The rest of the archipelago remains at level 2, with a moderate or high risk, while Formentera is the only island at level 1.

The first fire of the summer broke out on Sunday in Deià and affected a small pine forest near homes. On Monday, however, the day was particularly complicated, with five new fires in Mallorca, Ibiza, and Formentera.

One of the most notable occurred in the land located between Secar de la Real and Establiments, near Parc Bit. The large column of smoke forced some workers to leave the area and a nearby nursery school, with nine children at the time, was evacuated as a precaution. The fire was declared under control after several hours and provisionally burned 4.1 hectares of agricultural vegetation and the torrent of na Bàrbara.

Two fires also broke out in Muro. The one in Son Morell affected about 0.33 hectares of olive trees and vegetation, while the one in Can Milec was the most significant of the day. For over an hour it was classified with a potential severity of 1 and, after 9 p.m., it remained active after having scorched 12.5 hectares of agricultural and forest vegetation.

In Ibiza, a fire in Santa Eulària burned 0.4 hectares of reeds before being controlled, while another fire declared in Can Marí, in Formentera, affected a small area of scrubland.

Given the start of a season that is expected to be complicated, the forest fire response team will have about 350 personnel from Ibanat this summer, five helicopters, three planes, and two aircraft from the Ministry for Ecological Transition. As a new feature, Environmental agents will incorporate a drone group that will allow live images of fires to be sent and facilitate their monitoring from command centers.

Maximum alert level

Due to the forecast of maximum temperature predicted for this Tuesday, the Government has declared the Balearic Islands in maximum fire danger level and has prohibited making fire in almost the entire forest area of Mallorca and part of Menorca.

Despite 2025 being one of the best years in the historical series, with only 17 hectares burned in 82 fires, the Government has called for not letting their guard down in the face of high temperatures and the high risk of fire spreading.