‘Extremely worrying’ situation in Spain as 14 major wildfires rage

The 12-day heatwave and southerly winds are worsening the crisis

Spain is grappling with 14 major wildfires on Friday as authorities warn of “unfavourable conditions” hindering containment efforts.

The fires have already killed seven people and devastated more than 150,000 hectares (579 square miles) of land.

A 12-day heatwave and southerly winds are exacerbating the crisis, making Friday another challenging day for firefighters.

Virginia Barcones, director general of emergency services, described the situation as “one of the worst summers for fires in the past 20 years”.

Speaking on RTVE, she added: "In the western part of the country the situation is extremely worrying."

The severity is particularly acute in Galicia, where several fire fronts have merged, leading to significant disruption including the closure of highways and rail services across the region.

A helicopter drops water on a wildfire in Larouco, northwestern Spain, on Wednesday (AP)

The national weather agency AEMET warned of extreme fire risk in the north and west of the country, with temperatures expected to reach as high as 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on the north coast.

"Today will be another very difficult day, with an extreme risk of new fires," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on X.

Firefighters have been battling to put out wildfires across southern Europe, with the flames stoked by the extended heatwave gripping the region.

Avincis, the largest operator of emergency aerial services in Spain and Europe, said it had registered a 50 per cent increase from 2024 in flight hours dedicated to firefighting operations in Spain and Portugal so far this season.

However, a fire near Molezuelas de la Carbellada in the Castile and Leon region that was one of the largest in Spain's history had not advanced since Thursday, said Angel Sanchez, head of the region's forest fire service.

"We will continue working to stabilise it," he said.

A fire burns outside of Patras (AP)

15 firefighters hospitalised in Greece

Outside the Greek port city of Patras on Thursday, firefighters struggled to protect homes and agricultural facilities as flames tore through pine forests and olive groves.

Tall columns of flames rose behind apartment blocks on the outskirts of the city, while dozens of vehicles were torched as flames swept through a nearby impound lot.

"Today is another very difficult day with the level of fire risk remaining very high across many parts of the country," Fire Service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakoyiannis said.

At least 15 firefighters were hospitalised or received medical attention for burns, smoke inhalation or exhaustion, he added.