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Abraham Hernandez Jacinto (middle left) analyses data on a cellphone

Takeaways from the fire season: an interview with Abraham Hernandez Jacinto

By Knowledge Network – Staff memberPublished on

Abraham Hernández Jacinto is a wildfire analyst with almost a decade of experience in fire-behaviour analysis, aerial operations and incident command. A member of the EU Forest Fires Assessment and Advisory Team (FAST) and trained under the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), he has supported multi-agency wildfire coordination and decision-making at all levels.

During the 2025 wildfire season, fire-behaviour analysts joined the Wildfire Support Team (WFST) of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) for the first time to help anticipate how fires evolved and spread. Working alongside ERCC officers and national experts, Hernández Jacinto analysed weather, fuel and terrain data to provide insights that guided strategic decisions within the UCPM—bridging science and operations in a record-breaking season.

What do you see as the main takeaways from this season? Were there particular lessons learnt that you would like to share with other firefighters and civil protection community actors?  

This fire season, particularly the August 2025 event, highlighted an extreme level of fire severity that overwhelmed conventional firefighting capacity. The key lesson is the need to shift from relying solely on suppression, to prioritising preparation and prevention.  

The main takeaways include:  

  • extreme factor alignment – fires escalated due to the overlap of dry conditions, heatwaves, accumulated fuel and numerous ignitions from a dry thunderstorm; 
  • problem of scale – the challenge is not the wildfires themselves, but the unprecedented scale and intensity they can now reach, making suppression often insufficient; 
  • prevention is decisive – prevention and preparedness, especially landscape management, have the greatest impact against megafires because suppression resources are often limited.  

For firefighters and civil protection actors, the lessons are clear:  

  • strengthen wildland-urban interface (WUI) preparedness, as multiple threatened WUI areas quickly strain resources; 
  • invest in specialisation, reinforcing ground forest firefighters and creating roles such as incident commanders and analysts; 
  • develop fire analyst teams to continuously monitor weather, fuel and risk conditions; 
  • restore mosaic landscapes through rural revitalisation, a long-term measure to reduce spread and intensity.  

Preparedness is the key. An extreme fire episode is like a tsunami: we cannot fight it directly, but proper preparedness can significantly reduce damage.’

Abraham Hernandez Jacinto

How would you describe the main characteristics of this year’s wildfire season compared to previous years?  

The 2025 season was defined by a rare alignment of factors that produced exceptional severity. Nothing was fundamentally new, but the combination of extreme conditions, simultaneous ignitions from a dry storm, rural abandonment and high WUI exposure created a crisis that completely overwhelmed suppression capabilities.  

Abraham Hernández Jacinto, fire behaviour analyst, engaging with the community during a wildfire preparedness activity.

Investing in specialisation, from ground forest firefighters to incident commanders and analysts, is essential

Abraham Hernandez Jacinto

From your perspective, how effective were preparedness and response measures this year, and what priorities should be considered ahead of next season?  

Preparedness is the key. An extreme fire episode is like a tsunami: we cannot fight it directly, but proper preparedness can significantly reduce damage. This means investing in prevention, restoring mosaic landscapes, strengthening firefighter capacity, and raising risk awareness among populations.  

How do you see the role of European cooperation and knowledge exchange in supporting national and local efforts?  

Cooperation is essential, and the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) plays a central role by enhancing collaboration between Member States and supporting Host Nations. Experience gained through UCPM missions and knowledge exchange is particularly valuable for countries where wildfires are becoming more frequent due to climate change. Fire suppression services also improve with each mission. The European model of cooperation is already important – and will only become more critical in the years ahead.   

Each UCPM mission is an opportunity for shared learning — European cooperation makes us stronger.

Abraham Hernandez Jacinto