Spain Witnesses Worsening Wildfire Crisis

(MENAFN) Close to 100,000 hectares of territory in Spain have been devastated by wildfires this year, according to information released on Wednesday by the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).

This significant loss reflects the intensifying fire activity across the country in 2025.

By midday, there had been 199 forest fires that consumed 98,784 hectares nationwide, a news agency reported.

This figure is more than twice the 42,615 hectares affected during the same timeframe last year, when 219 fires were recorded.

The scale of destruction this year already surpasses the total burned area for the entire year of 2024, which saw nearly 60,000 hectares damaged by fires, according to data from EFFIS.

The number of fires so far in 2025 is similar to the count in 2023, when 371 blazes resulted in the loss of 91,220 hectares. Despite this, the most catastrophic year remains 2022, with approximately 306,555 hectares burned across 493 fires by August 13, based on EFFIS statistics.

Several regions in Spain are currently grappling with multiple active wildfires amid the country’s second heat wave of the summer.

In certain areas, temperatures have reached as high as 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit), intensifying already dry conditions and making the landscape highly combustible.

EFFIS data highlights the increasing severity of wildfire seasons in Spain in recent years, attributing the trend to hotter and drier summers linked to climate change, which make forests more susceptible to fires.

Officials have cautioned that the combination of extreme heat, reduced humidity, and strong winds could trigger additional outbreaks in the coming days, especially in rural and mountainous zones.

Firefighters and emergency teams continue their efforts to contain ongoing fires, while authorities urge the public to remain vigilant and take precautions to avoid sparking new fires during this critical, high-risk period.

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