Lorraine Williamson
Spain is battling one of its most destructive wildfire outbreaks in recent years. Currently, there are thirteen major blazes still active across six regions.
At least two people have died, four firefighters are injured, and thousands have been forced from their homes. Officials warn the coming days will be decisive, as the government prepares to request assistance from the European Union.
The worst-hit area is Castilla y León, where flames have ripped through the Las Médulas nature reserve — a UNESCO World Heritage site once famed for its ancient Roman gold mines. In Galicia’s Ourense province, more than 5,000 hectares have burned, leaving charred hillsides and destroyed farmland. Fires are also raging in Andalucia, Madrid, Extremadura, and Castile-La Mancha.
Relentless heat fuels disaster
Spain’s national weather service, Aemet, has extended extreme heat alerts until Monday, with soaring temperatures, dry winds, and parched vegetation creating perfect wildfire conditions. Experts warn that decades of rural depopulation and poor forest management have left vast areas dangerously vulnerable.
Emergency escalates
Eleven of the thirteen blazes have been raised to emergency level two — a classification used when regional resources are insufficient. The central government has activated its pre-emergency protocol, streamlining cooperation between Madrid and the affected regions.
Thousands battle the flames
More than 1,000 soldiers from the Military Emergency Unit (UME) are on the ground with a further 2,400 in support, alongside reinforcements from the Ministry for Ecological Transition. Despite the massive deployment, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska has confirmed Spain has readied an official request for European Civil Protection support should the crisis worsen.
@UMEgob
Arson fears and arrests
Four people have been arrested on suspicion of deliberately starting fires. Investigators are looking into possible links between the blazes and other recent arson cases, while also acknowledging structural causes — including abandoned rural land and overgrown forest tracks.
Sánchez pledges support
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, speaking from his holiday in Lanzarote, offered condolences to the families of the dead and solidarity with all those affected. In Oimbra, Ourense, four firefighters were injured during the emergency response. A man died in Madrid while trying to rescue horses from a riding school. And, in León, a volunteer lost his life during firefighting operations.
With temperatures set to remain dangerously high and resources stretched, Spain’s looming appeal for EU aid could prove pivotal. If granted, the extra manpower and equipment may be the only way to prevent this summer’s fires from becoming a catastrophe on an even larger scale.
Source: El Español