Spain is enduring its most destructive wildfire season on record, with the European Forest Fire Information System estimating that about 382,600 hectares—an area larger than the island of Mallorca—have gone up in flames since January. At least four people, including firefighters, have died and tens of thousands have been evacuated. Fires have also killed three people in neighbouring Portugal, bringing the Iberian death toll to seven. More than 20 major blazes remain active, concentrated in Galicia, Extremadura and Castile-and-León. The government has sent an extra 500 soldiers, lifting the military deployment to roughly 3,400 personnel backed by 50 aircraft, while Czech, Finnish, French, German, Dutch and Slovak crews reinforce local firefighters. A 50-kilometre stretch of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route, rail services and several highways have been shut, and authorities have declared parts of the affected regions emergency zones eligible for reconstruction aid. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez blamed the fires on the accelerating “climate emergency” and said he will present a permanent national climate-adaptation plan next month. Since June, police have arrested 32 people and opened 93 investigations for suspected arson. Prosecutors have also begun assessing agricultural losses that farm groups put at more than €600 million. Meteorologists ended a 16-day heatwave on 19 August and forecast cooler, wetter conditions that could help stabilise the fires, though Sánchez cautioned that “difficult hours” still lie ahead. Across the European Union, wildfires have already scorched more than one million hectares this year, surpassing the previous full-year record set in 2017.