Spain Battles Deadly Wildfires Scorching Nearly One Million Acres

Spain continues to battle one of its worst wildfire disasters in recent years, with over 350,000 hectares burned, four fatalities, and thousands of evacuations across regions including Castile and Leon, Extremadura, and Galicia. Despite some improvement in weather conditions and a reduction in the number of high-risk fires, 14 to 15 wildfires remain active, posing ongoing threats to people and property. The government has declared disaster areas to unlock aid and support, though opposition parties criticize the response as delayed and insufficient, proposing measures such as a national arsonist registry. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska emphasized that all state resources have been deployed and that arson is responsible for only a small fraction of the fires, which were primarily fueled by an intense heatwave linked to climate change. Efforts include extensive land and air firefighting resources, with foreign assistance beginning to wind down as cooler temperatures offer some hope for containment. The scale of destruction has prompted legal reviews to ensure fire prevention plans were in place in the hardest-hit municipalities.