FIGHTING WINT
T
he north of Spain and more specifically, the Autonomous Community of Cantabria, has great peculiarity in the fight against forest fires; most of them occur in winter, a circumstance that can only be explained because they are caused by pyromaniacs taking advantage of the southerly winds which, being drier, gustier and warmer than the rest of the prevailing winds, facilitate the expansion of the fire. In fact, in 1941, most of the old City of Santander burned to the ground when a strong southeast wind hit the city. A small spark evolved in a fire that destroyed the home of nearly 10,000 people. There were gusts of up to 180 kilometers per hour. In February 2019, more than 300 fires were caused
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in such a way that on 17 February, the Government of Cantabria was forced to activate the Special Plan for Forest Fires of the Autonomous Community of Cantabria (INFOCANT). They requested the support of the Military Emergency Unit (UME) because of the situation resulting from the large number of fires. The nearly 700 men and women fighting the fire at that time were joined by 43 Grupo de Fuerzas AĂŠreas with captains Reinaldo FernĂĄndez Boyero and Miguel Maroto. Operating with their co-pilots and flight mechanics, they commanded two Canadair amphibians to support the extinction of the fires from the air. In response to the question why Captain Miguel Maroto decided to become a Captain, he says: "I have a military tradition in my family. My father was
