immediate cause
immediate cause (causa inmediata)
the event that happens right before an effect and directly sets it off.
Example
Months of dry weather left the forest ready to burn, and then lightning struck. (The lightning is the immediate cause of the fire.)
In Spanish
immediate cause (causa inmediata) — el suceso que ocurre justo antes de un efecto y lo provoca directamente.
Months of dry weather left the forest ready to burn, and then lightning struck. (El rayo es la causa inmediata del incendio.)