Spain burns again! Wildfires sweep across Galicia as authorities announce a level 2 emergency

Daily Mail​

3 days ago

Wildfires have swept across northwestern Spain as firefighters work to tackle several blazes.
Residents in Galicia have been warned of further fires as three major infernos remain uncontrolled, prompting authorities to announce a level 2 emergency.
A conflagration in the Las Hurdes region of Cáceres has destroyed more than 2,600 hectares within a 28.5-kilometre perimeter according to Euronews.
As a result of the flames, 200 residents from six villages - Cambrón, Dehesilla, Huerta, Avellanar, Robledo, Mesegal and the area of Caminomorisco - were forced to evacuate overnight on Thursday.
More than 90 residents remain behind in student residences deemed safe while 400 emergency service workers have been deployed to try and manage the fire and contain it within the perimeter.
The province of Ávila is also suffering from an active wildfire that broke out on Monday night in the Barranco de las Cinco Villas ravine.
The blaze has continued to rage burning 2,000 hectares within a 25-kilometre perimeter and officials fear it is the result of arson.
Elsewhere in the southeastern province of Ourense, fires have been spreading since last night.
Between 11pm on Friday and 4pm on Saturday more than 450 hectares of the Serra das Penas Ceibes mountain range were destroyed and seven helicopters, seven airplanes, 23 firefighting brigades and 25 fire engines have been deployed to battling the inferno.
Due to the severity of the blaze, the Military Emergency Unit (UME) have been mobilised on the orders of the regional Galician government, El Pais reports.
Due to the intense smoke, residents in Dona Elvira and Vilardevós have been told to stay in their homes while 230 km away another fire has burnt through 28 hectares.
Videos posted on social media showed helicopters flying over the fires dropping water in an attempt to keep the fires under control.
This is the largest forest fire recorded in the province of Ourense so far this year.
Temperatures in Galicia have reached highs of 40C and warm air has helped fan the flames creating large blazes that are proving difficult for emergency services to tackle.
It comes after blazes swept across Portugal and Greece earlier this week, while tornadoes struck tourist hotspots in parts of Spain and Switzerland.
Thousands of firefighters have been battling dozens wildfires raging in northern Portugal and central Spain, in the largest wave of blazes in the Iberian Peninsula so far this year following weeks of summer heat.
An aerial view of a burned area in Portugal as wildfires grip the Iberian peninsula
The largest wildfire has been burning in the wooded, mountainous Arouca area - some 300 km (185 miles) north of Lisbon - since Monday, leading to the closure of the scenic trails of Passadicos do Paiva, a popular tourist attraction.
Some 800 firefighters and seven waterbombing aircraft tackled the blaze.
'There was a huge effort during the night, so now we have a somewhat calmer situation,' Civil Protection Commander Helder Silva told reporters, cautioning that shifting strong winds and a difficult terrain meant their work was far from over.
'It's a very large wildfire in areas with difficult access,' he said.
Further north, a blaze has been raging since Saturday in the Peneda-Geres national park near the Spanish border, enveloping nearby villages in thick smoke that led to orders for residents to stay at home.
Portuguese firefighters managed to control two large fires that started on Monday in the central areas of Penamacor and Nisa.
Authorities said the Penamacor blaze had destroyed 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) of forest.
In Spain's central province of Avila, shifting gusts of wind hindered efforts by firefighters and a special military unit, emergency services said.
Wildfires have also erupted Greece. Pictured: Smoke rises from a wildfire that broke out early hours in the area of Assiros, in the outskirts of Thessaloniki, northern Greece, 30 July 2025
Residents in the village of El Arenal, about 100 km (62 miles) west of Madrid, were advised to remain indoors due to heavy smoke.
Meanwhile, in Greece a large wildfire is currently ripping through a forest area between Kanali and Monolithi in Preveza.
The fire started at approximately 2pm local time (12.00 BST) and quickly grew.
Shortly after the blaze erupted a 112 message was sent to residents of the area warning them to be alert and ready to evacuate if necessary.
Residents have complained that emergency aircraft were slow to intervene, resulting in the fire growing in size and destroying a protected area, local media reports.
Roughly 40 firefighters are working to tackle the blaze with, 16 vehicles, 4 aircraft and 1 helicopter at the scene.