Flames threaten Galicia's oldest forest

BarcelonaAlthough temperatures are dropping across much of the country, the fires in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula are continuing unabated: some twenty serious fires are burning simultaneously, and 2025 has already become the worst year of the 21st century in terms of fires. Those affecting the provinces of Ourense (Galicia), northwest Castilla y León, and Cáceres (Extremadura) are of greatest concern to emergency services. At this point, there are still 21 active fires in phase 2 of a maximum scale of 3, meaning they pose an imminent risk to people and property, according to the latest data from the State Coordination Committee (Cecod).

In Castilla y León and Extremadura, optimism is growing that some fires will be brought under control in the coming hours, but in Galicia, the flames threaten the oldest forest in the region. The fire that started in Oporto de Sanabria (Zamora) has crossed the border with Ourense and has burned at least 20 hectares of the Galician part of Pena Trevinca, a natural area that is home to one of the largest yew forests in Europe, with more than 300 hundred-year-old specimens.

From an affected area of Cáceres, the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, announced this Tuesday that he will declare an emergency zone next Tuesday in the territories devastated by the serious fires of recent days. Given this situation, Sánchez admitted that there are still "difficult hours" ahead and asked the population not to be overconfident, to take extreme precautions and follow the recommendations of the authorities.

At this point, Spain is experiencing one of its most virulent summers: according to estimates by the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), 382,607 hectares have burned in Spain so far this year, an area equivalent to that of 0,000. Thus, the tool of the Copernicus program, for Earth observation and monitoring of the European Union, confirms that this year almost nine times more land has been burned than during the whole of 2024, when 42,615 hectares were affected.

Since last Tuesday, nearly 34,000 people have been evacuated from their homes (more than 3,000 in the last 24 hours) due to the threat of flames, and although some are beginning to return, the situation is still far from under control. Furthermore, it must be taken into account that the risk of new wildfires breaking out remains very high or extreme in much of Galicia. "In the face of fires, damage, and all inclement weather, there is only one response: institutional unity," he emphasized, stressing that, regardless of the origin of the fires, "it is clear that the climate is changing" and that the climate emergency must be a priority on the political agenda. Therefore, he insisted that in September he will propose to the scientific community, businesses, unions, and regional and municipal institutions a state pact "that transcends the legislative term."

"Good news" in León and Asturias

Castilla y León is experiencing a key day in terms of the fires affecting the Picos de Europa National Park and Lake Sanabria, and especially for its most active fire, the Jarilla fire, which broke out a week ago and has already burned 15,500 hectares. Most of the active fires (29) in the state are currently located in the Castilian community, of which ten are level 2 and burning in the province of León, and another eight are level 1 between León, Zamora and Salamanca.

The entry of the flames through Jarilla in Salamanca keeps the Jerte Valley on edge, and the greatest danger is in a possible bifurcation towards the towns of Jerte and Tornavacas. The fire has already passed through La Garganta de Los Papúos, but according to the Minister of the Presidency, Interior and Social Dialogue, Abel Bautista, it has only burned in the upper part and "preserved this heritage jewel."

The President of the Regional Government of Castilla y León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, predicted this Tuesday that throughout the morning there would be "good news" regarding the progress of some of the fires affecting the west of the community and also regarding the relocation of "many villages." In an interview on Telecinco, he assured that there is less smoke around the Sanabria Lake Natural Park and, therefore, aerial resources will be able to operate. Mañueco ruled out the possibility of his government requesting a Level 3 emergency—which would mean fire management would be transferred to the Spanish government—because it "doesn't have the resources." He emphasized that the regional emergency services and the Military Emergency Unit (UME) are currently cooperating.

The weather has also allowed for further improvements in the control of the seventeen fires recorded in Asturias, eight of them active. Therefore, the UME's support for collaboration in extinguishing the active fires in León will be dispensed with. In the Principality of Asturias, fires originating in León are burning in Cangas del Narcea, Somiedo, and Degaña, while at the other end of the region, in the Picos de Europa region, the municipality of Ponga has also been affected by the La Uña fire.

The largest fire in Galician history

In Galicia, firefighters and the UME (Mechanical Emergency Unit) were able to reduce the number of active major fires to seven, all of them in Ourense. No roads are closed, although the high-speed line connecting the region with Madrid will remain inoperative for the time being. The most worrying fire is the Larouco fire, which, after surpassing the Chandrexa fire, has now reached 20,000 hectares burned, becoming the largest in Galician history since records began.

In total, nearly 70,000 hectares have burned in Galicia in recent days, but the situation is "somewhat better," according to Galician President Alfonso Rueda, as two fires, the Maceda fire and the Vilardevós-Fumace fire, were stabilized overnight Monday.

32 arrested for starting fires

Police have arrested a 17-year-old minor, who was found with two lighters, as the alleged perpetrator of seven forest fires that occurred in the first half of August in the Galician community. The young man has been brought before the Juvenile Prosecutor's Office in A Coruña, which has ordered his admission to a Juvenile Detention Center.

In fact, officers from the National Police and Civil Guard have arrested 32 people and another 93 are under investigation for having started forest fires since June, either intentionally or through negligence, in different parts of the country. In recent hours, the arrest of a resident of Petín (Ourense) has emerged, detained for setting a fire without authorization to create a firebreak, and the statement before the Civil Guard of an octogenarian as the alleged perpetrator of several attempted arsons in Celanova (Ourense).