Spain is sending an additional 500 soldiers to assist in combating the wildfires that have ravaged its drought-stricken woodlands amidst a heatwave. This follows Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s announcement, bringing the total number of troops involved to over 1,900. The decision comes as authorities struggle to contain various blazes, particularly in the north-western region of Galicia, while awaiting reinforcement aircraft promised from other European nations.
Currently, firefighters are actively managing 12 significant wildfires in the vicinity of Ourense. Alfonso Rueda, the Galician regional president, highlighted the ongoing threat to homes which necessitated evacuation measures and lockdowns. Galicia has been fighting these fires for more than a week, with weather forecasts predicting temperatures could peak at 45 degrees Celsius. On Saturday, the southern city of Cordoba recorded a high of 44.7 degrees.
This year alone, wildfires in Spain have devastated approximately 158,000 hectares, an area comparable to metropolitan London, according to reports from the European Forest Fire Information System. The increasing intensity and frequency of such fires are attributed to climate change, with Europe experiencing warming at double the global average rate since the 1980s, as noted by the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Spain is also anticipating support from European partners, including two Dutch water-dumping planes, joining those already dispatched from France and Italy under a cooperative initiative. Additional firefighting personnel from other nations are expected to arrive shortly. Meanwhile, Spain’s national rail operator, Renfe, has suspended high-speed train services between Madrid and Galicia due to the fires, urging residents to wear masks and limit outdoor activity to avoid smoke inhalation.
In contrast, Portugal is experiencing a drop in temperatures after facing severe wildfires, with a national alert set to conclude. By Sunday, more than 4,000 firefighters and over 1,300 vehicles, along with 17 aircraft, had been deployed. Preliminary figures indicate that Portugal has lost approximately 139,000 hectares of forest this year, a staggering increase compared to 2024.
Other countries in the region, including Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Albania, have reached out to the EU’s firefighting force for assistance due to ongoing and escalating wildfires, underscoring the widespread impact of the current climate crisis across Southern Europe.