Spain is enduring its most destructive wildfire season on record, with an estimated 380,000 hectares scorched so far this year—more than four times the 2006-2024 average, according to the European Forest Fire Information System. About 20 major fires, chiefly in Galicia, Extremadura and Castile-and-León, were still active at the start of the week after a 16-day heatwave pushed temperatures to 45 °C. The blazes have killed at least four people in Spain, among them several firefighters, and forced the evacuation of more than 30,000 residents. A further three deaths were reported in neighbouring Portugal, which is battling its own outbreaks. Smoke and flames have shut roads, halted rail services and closed a 50-kilometre section of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route as flames spread into the Picos de Europa mountains. Madrid has deployed an additional 500 soldiers, lifting the military contingent to roughly 3,400, alongside 50 aircraft and thousands of firefighters. Support crews and equipment have arrived from France, Germany, the Czech Republic and other EU members after Spain triggered the bloc’s civil-protection mechanism. Authorities say 32 people have been arrested and more than 90 are under investigation for suspected arson since June. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who cut short a holiday to visit the affected regions, pledged to declare disaster zones on 26 August and called for a cross-party “national pact” that would hard-wire climate-emergency measures into state policy. Cooler, wetter weather forecast for later this week has helped stabilise some fronts, yet officials caution that “difficult hours” remain and warn that climate-driven heat and drought are lengthening Spain’s fire seasons.