Spain wildfire: 500 more troops deployed to battle wildfires; extended heat wave cause havoc

According to the European Forest Fire Information System of the European Union, the fires in Spain this year has burned 158,000 hectares (390,000 acres). That's around the size of metropolitan London.

Since the 1980s, Europe has warmed twice as quickly as the rest of the world, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service. According to scientists, climate change is making portions of Europe more susceptible to wildfires by increasing the frequency and severity of heat waves and dry spells.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on Sunday that Spain is sending an additional 500 troops to fight flames that have ripped across arid forests during an extended period of intense heat. As officials battled to suppress forest fires, particularly in the northwest Galicia region, and awaited the arrival of promised aircraft reinforcements from other European nations, they decided to add to the more than 1,400 personnel already on wildfire duty.

Alfonso Rueda, the president of the Galician regional administration, informed Sánchez during a press conference that firefighters are battling 12 large wildfires in Galicia, all of which are close to the city of Ourense.

“Homes are still under threat, so we have lockdowns in place and are carrying out evacuations,” Rueda said. Galicia has been battling the spreading flames for more than a week. Galician authorities advised people to wear face masks and limit their time spent outdoors to avoid inhaling smoke and ash.

According to the Spanish national weather organization AEMET, temperatures in some parts of Spain could exceed 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) on Sunday. The southern city of Cordoba saw a maximum temperature of 44.7 C (112.46 F) on Saturday. On the social media site X, AEMET stated that "wildfire danger is extreme in most of the country this Sunday, when extraordinarily high temperatures are expected."

Spain was anticipating the arrival of two Dutch water-dumping planes, under a European cooperation agreement, to join those already assisting Spanish authorities from France and Italy. Virginia Barcones, the head of Spain's Civil Protection Agency, told public network RTVE that firefighters from other nations are also anticipated to arrive in the area in the next coming days.

National rail operator Renfe said it suspended Madrid-Galicia high-speed train services scheduled for Sunday due to the fires.

Portugal declared a nationwide state of alert because of wildfires on August 2. At almost 139,000 hectares, Portugal's burned forest area so far this year is 17 times larger than it was in 2024, according to first estimates from the government's Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests.

Portugal's resources have been overextended, just like those of Spain. According to the nation's Civil Protection Agency, more than 1,300 vehicles, 4,000 firefighters, and 17 aircraft were deployed on Sunday.