Lorraine Williamson
Exhausted firefighters battling Spain’s relentless summer blazes say this year feels like “a fight for survival.” Thousands of hectares have already been lost across Galicia, Castilla y León and Extremadura, with entire villages evacuated as flames swept in from nearby hills.
For many residents, disbelief has turned to anger. “It’s hard to imagine someone doing this deliberately,” said one villager watching woodland burn outside Santiago de Compostela. “Our lives are already at risk from the heat and wind – now we have to worry about arsonists too.”
That anger intensified when police confirmed the arrest of a 17-year-old in Santiago de Compostela. Investigators believe he was behind seven separate fires in just ten days – a pattern that had left firefighters racing from one outbreak to another.
According to the Policía Nacional, the blazes broke out in the neighbourhoods of Santiago de Vidán and La Rocha, burning around 1.36 hectares. In a statement on social media, police confirmed the teenager had been detained with the support of Santiago’s local force, and that the Minors Prosecutor of A Coruña has ordered his admission to a juvenile detention centre.
The case has shocked local communities, who now see one of their own young residents accused of endangering lives and landscapes. The teenager’s detention is the latest in a string of cases as authorities step up their crackdown on suspected arsonists.
Crackdown gathers pace
Since June, 32 arrests have been made and 93 more people are under investigation. The Ministry of the Interior has warned that there will be no leniency. “Setting fires does not go unpunished,” officials stressed, highlighting the growing emphasis on prosecution as well as prevention.
Cases under investigation show how varied those suspected are: from a firefighter accused of causing a blaze in Ávila that razed 2,200 hectares, to an 81-year-old woman in Celanova linked to two tiny fires that scorched barely 0.04 hectares.
📌A perspective of disbelief
As someone living here, I can understand how fires can erupt naturally — from relentless heat, strong winds, or even a freak accident. And yes, negligence plays a part: cigarette butts tossed into dry grass, barbecues left smouldering. These are reckless acts that must carry consequences.
But to go further than that, to consciously decide to light a fire? What goes through someone’s mind in that moment? I can’t comprehend it — and never will. The terror and loss inflicted on families, firefighters and animals is beyond words
Politics inflame the fire debate
The wildfire crisis has also become a political weapon. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo described the situation as “arson terrorism” and insisted that 80% of blazes are deliberately set.
Yet government statistics suggest the real figure is closer to 20%, with most fires caused by negligence, farming practices, or natural conditions. Fact-checkers accused Feijóo of fuelling fear by folding all human-related incidents into his claims of deliberate arson. Critics point out his 14 years as Galicia’s regional president, saying his record on fire prevention deserves scrutiny too.
Galicia’s endless vulnerability
Galicia remains Spain’s most fire-prone region. Its combination of dense eucalyptus forests, steep valleys and long dry spells make it a hotspot year after year. Ourense, in particular, sees some of the country’s largest and most destructive fires.
With conditions set to worsen under climate change, even minor acts of recklessness can have devastating consequences. That explains why arrests are rising and why sentences are expected to be tough.
Spain wildfire arrests show deeper crisis
The arrest of a Santiago teenager has become a symbol of wider unease: that the destruction of Spain’s countryside is not only a product of drought and heatwaves, but of deliberate human action. As the country faces hotter summers, the battle against both flames and those who light them is only just beginning.
Sources: LevanteEMV, El País, OKDiario, ElEspañol