Spanish authorities say the country is close to containing a wave of deadly wildfires that have ravaged vast areas, killed four people, and forced thousands from their homes.
Virginia Barcones, head of Spain’s civil protection and emergencies service, told state broadcaster TVE on Saturday that “there are fewer of them, and the end is a lot nearer.”
She, however, cautioned that the remaining blazes were still dangerous. “The ones remaining were very treacherous, and we will need a final push to be done with this horrible situation,” Barcones said.
According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), wildfires have scorched a record 403,000 hectares (996,000 acres) across Spain this year, most of it in the past two weeks.
The worst-hit regions are Castile and Leon, Extremadura, and Galicia, where fires flared during a relentless heatwave that drove temperatures above 40°C.
Experts say decades of rural depopulation, an ageing population, and the decline of farming and livestock grazing — which once kept vegetation in check — have worsened Spain’s vulnerability to wildfires.
Barcones confirmed that 18 wildfires remain active, with only one still classified as a level 2 operational risk, posing a danger to people and property. She expressed particular concern over a fire in Iguena, in northwest Castile and Leon.
“Even so, the overall feeling is that it is improving, going in the right direction, and that less is burning,” she added.
While many villages remain evacuated, residents in some areas were allowed to return to their homes on Friday as conditions improved.
The crisis has sparked political controversy, with the opposition Popular Party accusing Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of withholding aid from regions governed by its officials.
EFFIS data analysed by AFP shows that Spain is one of four EU countries experiencing its worst year of wildfires since records began in 2006, alongside Cyprus, Germany, and Slovakia.
Scientists warn that climate change is intensifying heatwaves worldwide, lowering humidity in air, vegetation, and soil, which in turn makes wildfires more likely and harder to control once they spread.
