A wildfire in the Devesa of El Saler, just eight kilometers from central Valencia, ranks among the most destructive in the area’s history. The blaze broke out last Thursday and is suspected to have been intentional. It has consumed 36 hectares, about 15% of the 800-hectare Mediterranean forest. It is the worst incident since 1986, when a single fire destroyed 40 hectares.
Experts warn that the environmental impact will last for years. Eduardo Rojas, a forestry engineer and professor at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), estimates the affected area will need around 20 years to return to a condition resembling its previous state. No species have been lost, Rojas says, but it will take decades for the pines to grow back to four or five meters tall. He says the damage can be reversed and stresses the need for proactive management and prevention in natural parks.
The fire has renewed debate over the effectiveness of local prevention strategies. Opposition groups in Valencia’s city council have criticized the current government, led by PP and Vox, for what they call insufficient preventive measures. Rojas says the park’s unusual management structure, shared by the Generalitat and the city council, has not benefited the Devesa. He also recalls past pressure for urban development, including major projects in the 1960s that threatened to replace forest with hotels and apartments. Those plans were halted in 1979. Some residential buildings remain, and Rojas advocates protecting them.
Another forestry expert, Ferran Dalmau Rovira, agrees with the 20-year recovery estimate. He says the need to protect people and property may have complicated the initial response, particularly because of the park’s unnatural biomass buildup. Dalmau works with the city to install water cannons near inhabited areas. He believes emergency services must adapt to the growing scale and frequency of such disasters.
Opposition parties Compromís and PSPV-PSOE have demanded answers from the city government about its response and management of the incident. Compromís spokesperson Papi Robles describes the current state of the Devesa and l’Albufera as the worst in memory. Socialist councillor Elisa Valía says the area is completely neglected. José Gosálbez, the Vox councillor responsible for Devesa-Albufera, announced a pilot project in 2025 to apply fire retardants in inhabited zones. Municipal sources confirm, but, that the product was not acquired this year. Vox says that after the pilot, responsibility for further purchases shifted to the fire service, which is managed by the PP. Gosálbez also says vegetation pruning has increased, particularly near residential areas.
In 2023, another fire destroyed 16 hectares in the same forest. At the time, Gosálbez blamed the previous city administration for excessive vegetation, describing it so of “ecoesnobismo.” Now, with more than twice as much land affected, debate over forest management and prevention has intensified.
This latest incident comes amid heightened fire risk in the region. Earlier, Valencia faced a red alert for extreme heat, as authorities warned of greater wildfire danger while temperatures reached record levels. High temperatures and accumulated biomass, alongside complex management challenges, continue to hinder efforts to protect one of Valencia’s most impressive green spaces.
The Devesa of El Saler is a rare example of Mediterranean coastal forest, with dunes and dense pine groves alongside native shrubs. Its proximity to the Albufera lagoon and the Mediterranean Sea makes it a critical ecological and recreational resource for Valencia. The current fire exposes the vulnerability of such environments to natural and human threats, and the need for coordinated, long-term strategies to ensure their survival.
