Spain nears end of devastating wildfire crisis after record blazes

Spain has almost beaten back wildfires that have swept across the country this month, killing four people and ravaging huge swathes of land, the head of its civil protection and emergencies service said Saturday.

“There are fewer of them, and the end is a lot nearer,” the official, Virginia Barcones, told state television network TVE.

The ones remaining were still very “treacherous”, she said, however, and “we will need a final push to be done with this horrible situation”.

Spanish firefighters, helped by other EU countries, have been battling blazes that have scorched a record 403,000 hectares (996,000 acres), most of it in the past two weeks, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).

The regions hardest hit were in the north and the west: Castile and Leon, Extremadura, and Galicia. The wildfires flared during a heatwave that baked the country for two weeks, sending temperatures to 40C and above.

The fire emergency has thrown a spotlight not only on climate change but also trends that have left Spain’s countryside vulnerable.

Castile and Leon suffers from decades of rural exodus, an ageing population, and a decline of farming and livestock grazing that once helped keep forests clear of tinder.

Strong winds that had spread the flames for weeks had weakened recently.

Barcones said there were still 18 active wildfires, with all but one classified at operational level 2, meaning they represent a danger to people and property.

She said she was particularly concerned about a fire in Iguena, in northwest Castile and Leon.

Even so, “the overall feeling is that it is improving, going in the right direction, and that less is burning,” she said.

While numerous villages remain evacuated for their inhabitants’ safety, many residents have been able to return to their properties since Friday.

The fires have fuelled accusations that politicians mishandled the crisis.

The main opposition party, the conservative Popular Party, has accused Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of having withheld aid to damaged regions where its officials govern.

According to EFFIS data analysed by AFP, Spain is one of four EU countries experiencing its worst year for wildfires since statistics began in 2006.

The other three are Cyprus, Germany and Slovakia.

Scientists say climate change is driving longer, more intense and more frequent heatwaves worldwide.

Lower humidity in the air, vegetation and soil makes it easier for wildfires to ignite and harder to control once they spread.