Overview

• Podemos figures Irene Montero, Pablo Fernández and Ione Belarra pressed Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to invoke Law 17/2015 and declare a Level 3 national emergency to transfer wildfire coordination to the Interior Ministry.
• The Junta de Extremadura, led by Consejero Bautista, declined to request Level 3 status and described the proposal as a politically motivated debate rather than a solution.
• Bautista criticized Madrid’s current support offer—20 UME patrols and four heavy machines—as insufficient for blazes stretching some 130 kilometers in perimeter.
• Law 17/2015 grants the Interior Ministry authority to unilaterally designate emergencies of national interest and activate the Centro Nacional de Emergencias for multi-regional coordination.
• The dispute highlights a broader clash over whether Spain’s wildfire crisis stems from flawed command structures or simply a shortfall in material and human firefighting resources.