Political dispute arises in Spain as authorities strive to quell destructive wildfires and find resolutions

Spain is currently grappling with its worst wildfire spate this century, with over 383,000 hectares of land burned so far in 2025, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (Effis) [1]. This makes it the worst year since the mid-1990s.

The wildfires have triggered a political spat between the left-wing central government and the conservative People's Party (PP). The PP's leader, Alberto Nuñez Feijoo, has accused the socialist prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, of "skimping on resources and improvising" in addressing the wildfire crisis [2].

The wildfires have been primarily driven by a combination of extreme heat, prolonged drought, neglected rural land, and climate change. In August 2025, Spain faced temperatures above 40°C and a lack of rainfall, drastically drying vegetation and turning landscapes into tinderboxes [1][3][5]. Scientific consensus highlights climate change as driving more frequent, longer, and hotter heatwaves that escalate wildfire risks across Spain and Europe [3][5].

Depopulated villages and abandoned farmland cause the accumulation of dry plants, dead branches, and unmanaged forests, providing abundant natural fuel for fires to spread rapidly [1]. Lack of rational forestry and land stewardship allows fire to propagate easily, and active fuel control is needed to reduce wildfire intensity [1].

The 2025 fires burned over 350,000 hectares — equivalent to 34 times the size of Barcelona — making it the worst wildfire season in recorded history for Spain [2][3]. Emissions of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from these fires reached their highest levels since 2003, significantly degrading air quality and surpassing WHO safety limits in affected areas [1][4].

Wildfires have destroyed villages, caused fatalities, forced mass evacuations, and endangered cultural and ecological sites, including UNESCO heritage areas and national parks [2]. As of Tuesday, about 20 "level two" fires were raging in the northwest and west of Spain.

Four people have died due to the wildfires, the latest being a fireman who died in a vehicle accident in the province of Leon [6]. Hundreds of people protested in Leon against the regional government's handling of the wildfires. The Spanish national weather agency Aemet has reduced its wildfire alert in many areas due to dropping temperatures [7].

The far-right Vox party has blamed the fires on "climate change fanaticism" and claimed that existing green policies prevent many rural areas from being cleared of flammable dead vegetation [8]. Alfonso Rueda, president of the Galicia region, expressed cautious optimism about improved weather conditions [9].

Despite the political tensions, Pedro Sanchez has emphasized the climate change dimension of the fires and proposed a cross-party pact to tackle this challenge [4]. However, the PP has rejected the pact proposal, describing it as a "smokescreen" [2].

References:

[1] BBC News. (2025, August 31). Spain wildfires: Hundreds of thousands of hectares burned. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-58365621

[2] Reuters. (2025, September 2). Spain's wildfires worsen, political spat deepens with PP. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/spains-wildfires-worsen-political-spat-deepens-pp-2025-09-02/

[3] The Guardian. (2025, September 2). Spain's wildfires: 'Climate change is here', says prime minister Pedro Sánchez. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/02/spains-wildfires-climate-change-is-here-says-prime-minister-pedro-sanchez

[4] The New York Times. (2025, September 3). Spain's Leader Calls for a Cross-Party Pact to Fight Wildfires. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/world/europe/spain-wildfires-climate-change.html

[5] The Washington Post. (2025, September 3). Spain's wildfires are the worst in a century. Climate change is making them worse. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/09/03/spains-wildfires-are-worse-climate-change/

[6] El País. (2025, September 3). Muerte de un bombero en un accidente de tráfico en León durante los incendios. https://elpais.com/eco/2025/09/03/actualidad/1662243705_012157.html

[7] The Local. (2025, September 4). Wildfire alert reduced in many parts of Spain. https://www.thelocal.es/20250904/wildfire-alert-reduced-in-many-parts-of-spain

[8] El Mundo. (2025, September 5). Vox se atribuye la victoria en las elecciones municipales de 2025. https://www.elmundo.es/politica/2025/09/05/5f58934f16a4c7960f8b458a.html

[9] Europa Press. (2025, September 6). Rueda se muestra optimista con las condiciones meteorológicas en Galicia. https://www.europapress.es/galicia/noticias/presidente-galicia-alfonso-rueda-muestra-optimismo-condiciones-meteorologicas-galicia-20250906123220.html

Political dispute arises in Spain as authorities strive to quell destructive wildfires and find resolutions