Spain has deployed 500 additional military troops to combat devastating wildfires that are overwhelming the country's firefighting capabilities.
The Spanish government escalated its emergency response on Sunday as 20 major wildfires continued to spread across multiple regions amid record-breaking temperatures. According to Reuters, the deployment brings the total number of military personnel fighting fires to 1,900 troops nationwide.
The northwestern region of Galicia has been particularly hard hit, with several fires merging into one massive blaze that has forced authorities to close highways and suspend rail services. Spanish national weather agency AEMET warned that temperatures could reach up to 113 Fahrenheit in some areas on Sunday.
Government Response Intensifies Amid Crisis
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced the military reinforcement during a news conference in Ourense, one of the most severely affected areas. He acknowledged that challenging conditions lay ahead, stating that weather conditions were working against firefighting efforts.
Virginia Barcones, director general of emergency services, explained to Spanish public television that temperatures were expected to drop from Tuesday. However, she emphasized that current weather conditions remained "very adverse" with extremely high temperatures creating an extreme fire risk.
The intensified government response comes as Southern Europe experiences one of its worst wildfire seasons in two decades. Spain has emerged as among the hardest-hit countries in the region during this unprecedented crisis.
Communities Fight Fires With Limited Resources
In the village of Villardevos in Galicia, residents have taken matters into their own hands as official firefighting resources struggle to reach all affected areas. Local neighbors organized bucket brigades to combat flames after the area lost electricity needed to power water pumps.
Basilio Rodriguez, a local resident, expressed frustration with the limited aerial support reaching his community. "The fireplanes come in from all sides, but they don't come here," Rodriguez told Reuters on Saturday.
Another resident, Lorea Pascual, described the overwhelming nature of the crisis facing their community. "It's insurmountable, it couldn't be worse," Pascual said of the desperate situation.
Arson Investigations Mount Across Region
Interior ministry data reveals that authorities have arrested 27 people and are investigating 92 others for suspected arson since June. These investigations highlight concerns about human-caused fires amid the natural disaster.
The wildfire crisis has claimed three lives in Spain during the past week alone, while fires have consumed more than 115,000 hectares of land.
The death toll and destruction continue to mount as firefighting efforts struggle against extreme weather conditions.
Portugal Faces Similar Devastating Impact
Neighboring Portugal is also battling widespread blazes, with wildfires burning approximately 155,000 hectares of vegetation this year. This represents three times the average area burned during the same period from 2006 to 2024, according to provisional data from the ICNF forestry protection institute.
Thousands of Portuguese firefighters are currently battling eight large blazes in central and northern regions. The largest fire is burning near Piodao, a scenic mountainous area popular with tourists, while another blaze in Trancoso has been raging for eight days.
A smaller fire in Portugal claimed a local resident's life on Friday, marking the first wildfire-related death of the season in that country. About half of Portugal's burned area occurred within just the past three days, demonstrating the rapid escalation of the crisis.
