Thousands of firefighters in Spain and Portugal are combating a wave of wildfires intensified by weeks of summer heat, with temperatures expected to climb above 40°C (104°F) in central and southern Spain by Sunday and into the upper 30s°C across Portugal, according to Spain’s AEMET and Portugal’s IPMA. The blazes, the most significant in the Iberian Peninsula this year, have scorched thousands of hectares, prompting evacuations and straining emergency resources.

In Spain’s Avila province, 161 soldiers and 59 vehicles, supported by a special military unit, battled a fire near El Arenal, 100 km west of Madrid, where gusting winds reactivated both flanks, forcing residents indoors due to toxic smoke. In Caceres, a fire that burned 2,500 hectares (6,178 acres) was largely stabilized, lifting most evacuation orders. Portugal deployed over 2,700 firefighters and 29 aerial units, with major blazes in Arouca, Penamacor, and Ponte da Barca. The Arouca fire, burning since Monday, destroyed 3,000 hectares and closed the Passadicos do Paiva trails. Civil Protection Commander Helder Silva noted a “calmer situation” but warned of challenges from strong winds and rugged terrain.

Provisional data from Portugal’s Forest Institute indicates over 22,000 hectares burned in 2025, while Spain faces a new fire season amid drought and low reservoir levels (42.2% capacity). Climate change, driven by fossil fuel emissions and deforestation, is increasing the frequency and intensity of such fires, with Europe warming twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, per the Copernicus Climate Change Service. Smoke from these fires has degraded air quality, raising PM2.5 levels in Galicia and beyond, posing health risks.

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Cross-border initiatives like FIREPOCTEP+ aim to enhance cooperation, as fires destroyed 60,000 hectares in the region in 2024. With 132 fire alerts in Portugal this year, authorities urge stronger prevention and air quality measures to mitigate the escalating threat.

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