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Spain battles to extinguish remaining wildfires as weather improves
Just over a dozen significant wildfires remain active in Spain, authorities reported Monday, as international firefighting assistance begins to scale back amid cooler weather forecasts.
The civil protection agency confirmed 14 active fires classified as operation level two, indicating a threat to lives and property. This marks a gradual decline from 18 fires on Saturday and 21 earlier last week. Despite progress, the agency's head, Virginia Barcones, warned of ongoing challenges due to reignition, though she described the overall situation as "favorable" in most affected areas.
Intense conditions hamper firefighting efforts
Higher temperatures and strong winds on Monday presented difficulties, but improved weather conditions predicted for Tuesday are expected to aid containment efforts.
Over the past two weeks, Spanish firefighters, supported by teams from other EU nations, have struggled against blazes that have devastated over 350,000 hectares (865,000 acres), according to the European Forest Fire Information System. The hardest-hit regions include Castilla y León, Extremadura, and Galicia in northern and western Spain, which endured a heatwave with temperatures exceeding 40°C.
Foreign aid begins to withdraw
With conditions improving, foreign firefighting teams are beginning to return home. Crews from Finland and France will depart Tuesday, followed by German teams on Wednesday and Romanian teams on Thursday.
The fires have claimed four lives this month—three in Castilla y León and one near Madrid—and destroyed vast tracts of land. Scientists attribute the increasing frequency and intensity of such wildfires to climate change, which fuels longer and more severe heatwaves globally.