Catastrophe in Spain: Spanish administration to label numerous areas as disaster zones due to fires
More than 382,000 hectares of land have been consumed by wildfires in Spain this year, causing devastation and prompting a significant response from the government and local communities. The affected regions, including Extremadura and northwest Spain, have been declared disaster zones or zones of civil protection emergency to facilitate aid and recovery.
The cabinet's decision to declare the wildfire-hit areas as disaster zones enables immediate government assistance as the blazes have ravaged over 350,000 hectares, caused fatalities, and prompted thousands of evacuations. In Extremadura, the fire near the village of Jarilla burned 12,000 hectares, and extensive firefighting efforts, including the Military Emergency Unit, were deployed. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the region to assess damage and response efforts.
Thousands of operatives have been fighting dozens of fires across northwest Spain in recent days. Residents of Galicia are standing side by side with firefighters in the effort to stop the spread of flames. The town of San Millao in Ourense province, Galicia, has experienced a second major fire in less than a month. The previous fire in San Millao consumed around 100 hectares.
The Spanish army is joining the firefighters in the effort to control the wildfires. Reinforcements for the wildfire fight are coming from seven European countries. In the past 24 hours, 38,000 hectares burned in Spain. So far, there are four confirmed fatalities due to the wildfires in Spain.
Political debate over the adequacy of the government's response continues. The main opposition, the Popular Party (PP), which governs many affected regions, criticized the government's response and proposed a 50-point plan including a national registry of arsonists, although the government stated arson accounts for only a small portion of fires. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska emphasized that "all available state resources" had been mobilized, and international assistance received.
The government attributes the exceptional wildfire season partly to severe heatwaves driven by climate change. Spain experienced an exceptional 16-day heatwave—the most intense on record—that contributed to the severity of these fires, reflecting broader climate change impacts. This context supports the need for comprehensive climate action, which is part of ongoing national and European discussions, though explicit recent national pacts were not described in the sources.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez reiterated his proposal for a national pact to tackle the climate emergency. He pledged to make the fight against climate change a state policy. The government will declare several additional areas as disaster zones in the most affected regions.
In a show of solidarity, residents in southern Galicia are using garden hoses, tree branches, and other tools to help fight wildfires. Pedro Sánchez visited the command post of the Jarilla fire in Extremadura on Tuesday. The affected area is larger than the island of Majorca.
The wildfires in Spain serve as a stark reminder of the urgent need for action to address climate change and its impacts on the environment and communities. As the fires continue to rage, the government, firefighters, and local communities remain vigilant and resilient in their efforts to contain the blazes and rebuild affected areas.
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