Unprecedented tragedy in Spain: Extensive forest fires and relentless heatwave claim lives of over a thousand individuals in the nation
Spain Battles Worst Wildfire Season in Decades
As of late August 2025, Spain is experiencing its worst wildfire season in 30 years, with over 150,000 hectares destroyed primarily in the regions of Galicia and Castilla y León in the northwest. The fire danger remains high to very extreme in Castilla y León and Andalusia, and high to very high in Galicia, according to forecasts from the Joint Research Centre’s European Forest Fire Information System (JRC EFFIS).
Relief efforts include the deployment of firefighters and military forces by the Spanish government to battle the blazes. Approximately 30,000 people have been evacuated from affected areas, and residents are advised to wear face masks and stay indoors to protect against smoke and ash inhalation.
Despite misinformation circulating on social media claiming the fires were deliberately started to clear land for construction, Spanish law prohibits changing forest land use for 30 years following a fire to prevent such profit-driven intentional burnings. The law was reinforced in 2006 and does not allow new urban developments on recently burned forests.
In Galicia, seven active fires remain, all in the province of Ourense, consuming more than 67,500 hectares. Most of the active fires are located in the region of Castile and León, with ten level 2 fires in the province of León and eight level 1 fires between León, Zamora, and Salamanca.
Spanish authorities have recommended that travelers on other routes of the Camino de Santiago cancel their trips due to the forest fires, with a 50-kilometer stretch of the Camino de Santiago being closed. The stretches of northern Spain, from Astorga to Villafranca del Bierzo, are particularly affected.
The largest fire in Galicia's history is still out of control and threatens protected areas. In Extremadura, the wildfire in Jarilla has burned 16,000 hectares over nine days and has two active fronts. There are 26 aerial means and 500 ground personnel working to extinguish the fire in Jarilla, with logistical support from heavy machinery from Germany and Slovakia.
The Spanish State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) announced a decrease in the fire danger level in areas of northern and eastern Spain due to improved weather conditions and the forecast of "very strong" storms. It is expected that rain will reach the western half of the peninsula, which has been severely affected by forest fires, at least until Sunday, but this forecast is still tentative.
Despite the improved weather conditions, Spanish Minister for the Ecological Transition, Sara Aagesen, stated that although temperatures are dropping due to the arrival of an Atlantic air mass, the situation remains "very complicated" and caution must still be exercised. The situation in Castile and León has improved due to a drop in temperatures and increased extinguishing means.
Despite the ongoing challenges, Spain continues to fight the wildfires, with emergency responders working tirelessly to contain and extinguish the blazes. The authorities are also working to combat disinformation about the fires' origins and protect the affected regions and their residents.
