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The spatial and temporal behavior of the occurrence of forest fires in Chile was evaluated in the presence of COVID-19 and mobility restrictions. The fire period from 2015–2016 to 2020–2021 was considered and statistics on mobility restrictions were granted by the Government of Chile. The analysis was developed at different scales of geographic perception. At the national and regional levels, the global behavior of the occurrence was determined, and later at the communal level, the political territorial unit, to determine internal variations attributable to the mobility dynamics in the quarantine period. In the process, the meteorological background of the fire activity was also considered. The results indicate that it is possible to rule out a meteorological effect, based on the variation of the moisture content of fine fuel. There was also no statistical association between the humidity of the fuel and the variation in the occurrence of fires. It is concluded that the communes that presented the greatest mobility of people before the pandemic were those that obtained the greatest reduction in fires. The variation in mobility, the product of restriction measures, is a statistical predictor of the increase or decrease in fires.

The spatial and temporal behavior of the occurrence of forest fires in Chile was evaluated in the presence of COVID-19 and mobility restrictions. The fire period from 2015–2016 to 2020–2021 was considered and statistics on mobility restrictions were granted by the Government of Chile. The analysis was developed at different scales of geographic perception. At the national and regional levels, the global behavior of the occurrence was determined, and later at the communal level, the political territorial unit, to determine internal variations attributable to the mobility dynamics in the quarantine period. In the process, the meteorological background of the fire activity was also considered. The results indicate that it is possible to rule out a meteorological effect, based on the variation of the moisture content of fine fuel. There was also no statistical association between the humidity of the fuel and the variation in the occurrence of fires. It is concluded that the communes that presented the greatest mobility of people before the pandemic were those that obtained the greatest reduction in fires. The variation in mobility, the product of restriction measures, is a statistical predictor of the increase or decrease in fires. ; Versión publicada - versión final del editor

Abstract. In recent years fires of greater magnitude have been documented
throughout northwest Europe. With several climate projections indicating
future increases in fire activity in this temperate area, it is imperative
to identify the status of fire in this region. This study unravels unknowns
about the state of the fire regime in northwest Europe by characterizing one
of the key aspects of fire behavior, the rate of spread (ROS). Using an
innovative approach to cluster Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) hotspots into fire perimeter isochrones
to derive ROS, we identify the effects of land cover and season on the rate
of spread of 102 landscape fires that occurred between 2012 and 2022.
Results reveal significant differences between land cover types, and there
is a clear peak of ROS and burned area in the months of March and April.
Median ROS within these peak months is approximately 0.09 km h−1 during a
12 h overpass, and 66 % of the burned area occurs in this spring
period. Heightened ROS and burned area values persist in the bordering
months of February and May, suggesting that these months may present the
extent of the main fire season in northwest Europe. Accurate data on ROS
among the represented land cover types, as well as periods of peak activity,
are essential for determining periods of elevated fire risk, the
effectiveness of available suppression techniques, and appropriate
mitigation strategies (land and fuel management).