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3d ago

Spain Mobilizes Troops and EU Support as Wildfires Rage in Northwest

EU firefighting aircraft plus military reinforcements are tackling wildfires in Spain’s northwest driven by extreme heat, rural land abandonment, prolonged drought.

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In Spanien kämpfen Tausende Menschen gegen die Brände.

Overview

  • Roughly 20 high-risk wildfires continue to burn across Galicia, Castile and León, Extremadura and Asturias, forcing thousands to evacuate and causing at least three confirmed fatalities.
  • Spain and Portugal activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, with airtankers from France, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden arriving and German specialist wildfire teams en route.
  • Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez cut short his vacation, visited the hardest-hit provinces, ordered 500 additional soldiers into firefighting roles and pledged a national climate pact for September.
  • European Forest Fire Information System data show about 157,000 hectares have burned in Spain since January, making 2025 one of the worst fire seasons in recent years.
  • Authorities have made several arrests on suspicion of arson as crews battle extreme heat, shifting winds and the legacy of decades-long land abandonment.