As Spain experiences increasingly destructive wildfire seasons, attention is turning to whether Australia's bushfire bunker model could offer an additional layer of protection for people living in high-risk rural communities.

The discussion follows a series of devastating wildfires across Spain, including the recent blaze near Los Gallardos in Almería, where rapidly changing fire conditions left communities facing an evolving and dangerous emergency. With extreme heat, prolonged drought and dry vegetation creating ideal wildfire conditions, questions are being raised about how countries can better protect people when evacuation is no longer possible.

Learning from Australia

Australia has spent decades adapting to some of the world's most extreme bushfire conditions. Alongside evacuation planning, fuel management and public awareness campaigns, purpose-built Private Bushfire Shelters have been introduced as a last-resort refuge for people unable to escape advancing fires.

Designed to withstand intense radiant heat, flames, smoke and embers, these shelters are not intended to replace evacuation. Instead, they provide temporary protection when all other options have been exhausted.

Authorities, including Australia's Country Fire Authority, continue to stress that leaving early remains the safest course of action whenever possible. However, the shelters have become part of a broader resilience strategy in areas where fast-moving bushfires can overwhelm evacuation routes.

Could the approach work in Spain?

As wildfires become more frequent and unpredictable across southern Europe, similar ideas are beginning to enter the conversation.

Many rural communities in Spain are surrounded by forests and dry vegetation, with limited road access and ageing populations. During rapidly developing wildfires, residents may have only minutes to react, particularly when changing winds alter the direction of a fire.

While Spain has traditionally focused on prevention, land management and firefighting capability, Australia's experience raises the question of whether purpose-built emergency shelters could provide another option for communities facing increasing wildfire risk.

Some experts have also suggested that larger community shelters, rather than individual household bunkers, could offer additional protection for villages where evacuation may prove difficult during major incidents.

Building resilience alongside prevention

Australia's experience also highlights that bushfire bunkers are only one part of a much wider resilience strategy. Forest management, vegetation clearance, firebreaks, public education and effective emergency planning remain the most important measures for reducing wildfire risk.

As climate change continues to increase the frequency and intensity of wildfires across Europe, countries are increasingly looking beyond traditional firefighting and considering how communities themselves can become more resilient.

For Spain, the discussion is still in its early stages. However, Australia's long experience of living alongside catastrophic bushfires may provide valuable lessons as governments and emergency planners look for new ways to protect communities in an increasingly challenging fire environment.

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