More than 200,000 hectares burned in Spain in the last four days.

BarcelonaThe color of flames tinges much of the northwest of Spain. The fires, which are particularly devastating the provinces of Ourense, León, Zamora, and Cáceres, have in just a few days increased the number of areas burned in Spain this year. According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), the virulence of these fires has caused the burned area to exceed 200,000 hectares in the last four days alone, representing 0.7% of the total surface area of Spanish territory.

The latest information from this tool of the European Union's Copernicus Earth observation and monitoring program, published on August 14, indicated a total of 148,205 hectares burned since January 1, 2025. This means that the latest wildfires.

Seven people dead, at least nine hospitalized, and more than 344,000 hectares scorched by fire is the provisional toll of a year that will be remembered as unprecedented. Defense Minister Margarita Robles stated that "the UME has not seen anything like it in its 20 years of existence," in an interview on Cadena SER. For now, 40 fires remain active, two-thirds of which are concentrated in Castile and León, and "until the heat wave subsides, this situation cannot be ended," the minister herself acknowledged.

The European Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated

Europe has experienced a significant increase in the number of fires this summer. Countries such as France, Germany, and the United Kingdom recorded a notable increase in the number of fires, driven by extreme weather conditions and prolonged droughts. However, Spain leads the most affected countries, followed by Portugal (216,214 hectares), which has also reached historic levels.

Faced with this situation, the Director General of Civil Protection and Emergencies, Virginia Barcones, emphasized this Monday that Spain is currently receiving the "largest contingent of international aid in its history" to put out the "terrible fires" ravaging several autonomous communities. To this end, the European Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated, with several European countries sending various units to combat the fires in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. "All the resources of this unprecedented aid provided by Europe are being made available and incorporated," she stated. Specifically, France has sent two Canadair aircraft and more than 100 forest firefighters to respond to the fires in León and Ourense, while Italy has provided two Canadair aircraft with a 5,500-liter capacity, also in León. The Netherlands has deployed a reconnaissance team with two helicopters to the same area. Slovakia will add a helicopter to Cáceres tomorrow at 4:15 p.m., while the Czech Republic will send an aircraft to Matacán at 4:00 p.m. to operate in León and Galicia, as needed. Germany has mobilized 66 firefighters with 21 vehicles to Jarilla (Cáceres), and Finland has mobilized 30 firefighters to respond to the fires in Galicia.