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The wave of wildfires continues to ravage northwestern Spain, with a particular impact on the provinces of Ourense, Zamora, León, and Extremadura, with nearly 40 active fires still burning. The Regional Government of Castile and León ordered the evacuation of 10 towns on the León slopes of the Picos de Europa Mountains this Sunday due to the Barniedo fire. More than 3,000 residents have already been evacuated in this region, and 27 fires are active, 10 of them at the highest risk level. In Galicia, the President of the Xunta (regional government), Alfonso Rueda, has estimated the number of fires at the highest level in his region at 12, all of them in the province of Ourense, where 50,000 hectares have burned. After visiting the Ourense fire coordination center with the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, he once again called for the mobilization of the regular army and additional resources, which must arrive"as soon as possible, and as soon as possible is now." Sánchez then announced that the government will propose a "state pact for climate emergency mitigation and adaptation," involving all of civil society, so that response and threat prevention have sufficient resources and are outside the scope of political conflict. In Cáceres, the Jarilla fire is"completely out of control" on its northern flank and has forced the evacuation of parts of Hervás (4,000 inhabitants) and Gargantilla (360).

Eva Saiz

Huelva | Smoke from a fire in Bonares reaches the A-49 in the middle of the return operation from the Assumption bridge 

The Andalusian Government has raised the risk level of a fire declared in the municipality of Bonares (Huelva) to emergency phase 1. The Minister of the Presidency, Antonio Sanz, has asked for caution on social networks as the smoke reaches the A-49, the highway that links Huelva with Seville and which is one of the busiest on Sundays, due to the Operation Exit that coincides with the return of thousands of travelers after the Assumption bridge. There are currently no traffic jams. 

Two semi-heavy vehicles, three fire engines, three groups of forest firefighters, two operations technicians and an environmental officer have been dispatched to the area, according to information provided by Infoca on social media.

Published at: 19:26 CEST 08/17/2025 and modified at 19:27 CEST 08/17/2025

El País

Castilla-La Mancha | Two forest fires declared in the municipalities of Toledo and Ciudad Real

Two forest fires have broken out in the municipalities of El Casar de Escalona (Toledo) and Horcajo de los Montes (Ciudad Real). Specifically, according to the regional government's Forest Fire Information System, the fire in El Casar de Escalona is due to a grassland fire. There are 14 vehicles and 60 people fighting the blaze, with one management and coordination unit, four aerial firefighting units, and nine ground firefighting units. The fire in Horcajo de los Montes was detected thanks to a call from a private individual. Nine vehicles and 34 people are currently working on the scene to combat the blaze, with two aerial firefighting vehicles and seven ground firefighting vehicles.

Published at: 19:19 CEST 08/17/2025

El País


A total of 27,152 people have had to be evacuated due to the wave of fires

The Ministry of the Interior has reported that the state security forces and bodies have already evacuated 27,152 people due to forest fires since June 1. This wave of fires will go down in history for its sheer destructive power, as has happened in Chandrexa (Ourense), where more than 16,000 hectares have already burned, making this the largest fire in the history of Galicia. Published at: 18:40 CEST 08/17/2025 and modified at 18:41 CEST 08/17/2025 El País León | 10 towns around the Picos de Europa evacuated due to the Barniedo fire

The Regional Government of Castilla y León has ordered the evacuation of 10 towns in the Valdeón Valley and the Valle de la Reina, in the Picos de Europa area, due to the complexity of the forest fire that started in Barniedo de la Reina (León).

Specifically, Barniedo de la Reina, Espejo de la Reina, Villafrea de la Reina, Santa Marina de Valdeón, Cardiñales, Prada de Valdeón, Los Llanos, Soto de Valdeón, Caldevilla de Valdeón and Posada de Valdeón are being evacuated, according to the Regional Government's Territorial Delegation. Those evacuated who need it will be able to stay in shelters that will be set up in Riaño. (EP)
Published at: 18:09 CEST 08/17/2025 and modified at 18:22 CEST 08/17/2025

The President of the Government ends his visit to León

Pedro Sánchez has just finished his tour of the Caboalles area (León), 6 kilometers from Villablino. The President of Castilla y León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, greeted Sánchez at the foot of the helicopter, who then took a 4x4 vehicle to an area close to the fire accompanied by Minister Grande-Marlaska, the Government Delegate, Nicanor Sen; the Director of Civil Protection, Virginia Barcones, and the Mayor of Villablino, Mario Rivas. Sánchez, who has not had contact with firefighters or firefighting equipment, has been speaking in the mountains with the president of the local councils and livestock farmers in the area, who have insisted on the need for prevention work, as well as the effects of the fires on the region's economy."In 25 years we have lost 54% of the population," the mayor of Villablino (PSOE) told the President during a visit without access to the media. Three hours after arriving in León, the helicopter took off.

Published at: 17:40 CEST 17/08/2025 and modified at 18:08 CEST 17/08/2025

The Jarilla fire has destroyed 11,000 hectares and the Extremadura Regional Government has attacked the central government.

The Jarilla fire (Cáceres) has already covered 11,000 hectares and has a perimeter of 130 kilometres. The regional minister of the Extremadura Regional Government, Abel Bautista, has just appeared at the forward command post to update the data and suggests a possible lockdown of La Garganta, which will be assessed in the next hour, due to the risks from the northern flank of the fire, which"continues to rage." In that area, Hervás remains under lockdown, and 80 homes in the northern peri-urban area are being evacuated. However, firefighters working on the ground are currently hopeful because the wind has changed direction favorably. Infoex personnel are also trying to lessen residents' concerns because, they claim, they are managing to divert the fire thanks to the fire-against-fire technique. On the other hand, Bautista has insisted on his attacks on the central government for what he considers to be the insufficient resources sent by the state administration. The controversy continues to escalate due to the Government delegate's remarks during this morning's Cecopi meeting. The counselor has attacked the delegate for having expressed that the regional government"should request what was needed." Published at: 16:38 CEST 08/17/2025 and modified at 16:41 CEST 08/17/2025 El País

Members of the Marine Infantry Brigade Tercio de Armada in San Fernando (Cádiz) prepare before joining the fight against forest fires. / EFE

The Navy joins the fight against forest fires with one hundred infantrymen

The Navy has deployed one hundred soldiers from the Second Landing Battalion of the Marine Infantry Brigade Tercio de Armada (TEAR), based in San Fernando (Cádiz), to join the support efforts in the fight against the forest fires affecting the northwest of the peninsula. According to the Ministry of Defense in a statement, the mobilization comes after a request from the Military Emergency Unit (UME), which has requested reinforcements for surveillance tasks, assistance to the population and support in the areas affected by the fires.

This deployment is in addition to Operation Centinela Gallego 25, in which seven patrols of the Tercio Norte de Infantería de Armada (Ternor) have been participating in Galicia since Friday, with the aim of monitoring the mountains and collaborating in fire prevention through presence and deterrence activities. The Navy has emphasized that it remains ready to provide new capabilities in personnel and resources that may be required within the framework of this emergency, thus reaffirming its commitment to support Spanish society. Published at: 16:21 CEST 08/17/2025 El País

Fire column from the Jarilla fire (Cáceres), in an image taken from Hervés. / Claudio Álvarez

Spain is still on fire: almost 40 active fires are ravaging Extremadura, Galicia and Castilla y León

Almost 40 active fires are ravaging Extremadura, Galicia and Castilla y León this Sunday, where more than 3,200 residents have been evacuated and several simultaneous fires and erratic winds are hampering extinction efforts. The fires currently being fought by the extinction services in Galicia have burned more than 48,000 hectares, most of them in the province of Ourense. There are two more in Lugo and another in Pontevedra. The Chandrexa de Queixa fire is now the largest in the region's history (17,000 hectares). In Extremadura, the fire that started in Jarilla continues to spread down the hillside from the Puerto de Honduras towards this town of 4,000 inhabitants and has already forced the evacuation of Hervás (4,000 inhabitants) and Gargantilla (360), threatening to spread to the Jerte Valley and reach as far as Castilla y León. The flames can be seen from Plasencia, 25 kilometres from where the fire started on Tuesday due to lightning in the mountains of the municipality of Jarilla. Published at: 16:08 CEST 17/08/2025 and modified at 17:43 CEST 17/08/2025

Extremadura | Evacuation requests begin for the northern area of Hervás

Firefighters deployed in the northern part of Hervás, confined by the threat of fire, are beginning to evacuate the 80 homes in that area. The first houses, which climb up the rural road, have already been evacuated. Other families are preparing their belongings to leave. The firefighting teams are concerned about the change in wind that occurred a while ago. The fire is approximately 300 meters away.

Published at: 15:35 CEST 08/17/2025 and modified at 15:50 CEST 08/17/2025

El País

Feijóo demands that Sánchez specify what he will order and when” to fight the fire

The leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, demanded that the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, specify “what he will order and when” to continue fighting the fires that are ravaging several Spanish provinces. “The only way to combat the extraordinary fires we are experiencing is to use every last resource available to the State and the EU. Although doing so a week later is late, we must welcome the Government's rectification and ask for it to be specified," Feijóo stated in a message on social media. He did so after Sánchez visited the Operational Coordination Center for firefighting in Ourense, accompanied by the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and the President of the Xunta de Galicia, Alfonso Rueda.

In a subsequent appearance, the president assured that"all resources" of the State will be made available to the extinguishing devices and proposed a great State pact "for the mitigation and adaptation" of Spain to the climate emergency. Feijóo responded that having more resources from the European Union and other personnel and machinery from the Army"is essential" and asked that the requests of the autonomous communities be attended to "without exceptions or excuses." "And to move from generalities to specifics to compensate for lost time: what will be ordered and when," he added.

In his opinion, Sánchez recognized five"own errors: lack of foresight, planning,"Anticipation, investment, and reaction." "At this stage of the crisis, the State's sense of emergency can only begin by not sparing a single means to combat it," he warned."Total collaboration should have been the priority from the very beginning, in this and any emergency. I want to acknowledge that all communities, regardless of political affiliation, have understood this, and that this is the example for everyone to follow,” he added. Published at: 3:32 PM CEST 8/17/2025 and modified at 3:32 PM CEST 8/17/2025 President Pedro Sánchez has just landed by helicopter near Villablino, in the province of León. This is the second stop after Ourense on a tour of the areas most affected by the fires. It is unknown what his contact with the population will consist of, and whether it will even take place, as it is a closed visit to the media. Villablino is very close to Las Médulas, which burned last week. During his aerial tour, he was able to see the enormous natural disaster ravaging the provinces of Ourense and León. Minister Grande-Marlaska is traveling and is scheduled to meet with the President of Castilla y León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco. Published at: 15:28 CEST 08/17/2025

Virginia Martínez

Ester Muñoz (PP): "Today Pedro Sánchez agrees with Alberto Núñez Fejóo."

Despite the cordiality shown between President Pedro Sánchez and the Galician leader, Alfonso Rueda, in their joint appearance, Génova continues its parallel war against the Council of Ministers through social media."Seeing the seriousness of the situation and with the Government on vacation, Feijóo demands that more Armed Forces join the EMU," published the spokesperson in Congress, Ester Muñoz."1. Robles says it's improvisation. 2. Marlaska says there are sufficient resources. 3. Puente, mojito in hand, goes it alone and says those resources are already there. 4. Today Sánchez rectifies everyone and agrees with Alberto Núñez Feijóo," she asserted."We have lost three days. We are governed by chaos," she declared in a message on X.

Published at 14:56 CEST 17/08/2025 and modified at 14:56 CEST 17/08/2025

Extremadura | The Civil Guard asks residents of Hervás to go inside their homes while some leave the town. Civil Guard patrols circulate through Hervás asking residents who were staying on the streets to go inside their homes, following the confinement order issued by the Cáceres municipality this morning. Meanwhile, the fire from the blaze that started in Jarilla continues to spread down the hillside from the Puerto de Honduras towards this town of 4,000 inhabitants. More firefighters from Infoex and members of the UME and Civil Protection are beginning to arrive in the town due to the worsening situation. Some residents have packed their bags and gotten into their cars to leave Hervás out of fear and the risk of evacuation. Ariadna Nieto, 22, gets into her vehicle with her mother, heading to their house in Cáceres."I'm very scared and very sad," Nieto laments through tears."Our chestnut grove is disappearing," his mother says as she watches the mountain burn. Civil Guard officers approach the women and ask them to leave immediately because, perhaps, it won't be possible for a while due to the danger of moving.

The Minister of the Presidency of the Regional Government of Extremadura, Abel Bautista, will appear at 4:00 p.m. from the advanced command post in La Granja to update the information. At the same time, the Guardiola government is intensifying its feud with Pedro Sánchez's executive. His team recently released a table to the press showing the resources requested from La Moncloa and what they claim has been sent, complaining of an insufficient response.

Published at: 14:52 CEST 08/17/2025

El País

Asturias | Barbón reports on the “largest deployment” of resources in history to fight the fire

The President of the Principality of Asturias, Adrián Barbón, said this Sunday that Asturias is carrying out the “largest deployment” of resources in its history to fight the forest fires affecting the region, where at least six fires remain active, including those located in Genestoso, Cangas del Narcea, Somiedo and Degaña.

This was stated by the head of the regional government, who this Sunday visited the advanced command post (PMA) in Cangas, from where the efforts to extinguish the fires affecting the region are being coordinated. 

“This is the largest deployment of resources in the fight against fires in the history of Asturias, both on land and in the air,” he said. (EFE)

Published at: 14:43 CEST 08/17/2025

Sonia Vizoso

Sánchez announces the deployment of 500 land soldiers to fight the fire

In a cordial atmosphere but with a serious gesture in the face of an incendiary wave that does not stop, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the President of the Xunta, Alfonso Rueda, have visited the Firefighting Operations Coordination Center in Ourense together. Rueda has transmitted “urgent” demands for more resources and Sánchez has promised to attend to them. “We have to act hand in hand,” said the socialist, who assures that the Government will provide the affected communities with “all the necessary resources” to combat a crisis that still faces “complex days.”

Fifty thousand soldiers from the Army will go to help the areas besieged by the flames and Sánchez will try to meet the 200 troops that the Xunta is demanding for Ourense. “The attitude of the Xunta has been one of a practical mindset and collaboration,” said Rueda, who advocates that “coordination on the ground continues.”

When the fires are extinguished, Sánchez announced, he will propose a State pact “for the mitigation and adaptation” of Spain to the climate emergency. The country, he said, must “resize its policies” and improve its response capacity to “increasingly serious” natural disasters. Published at: 14:36 CEST 08/17/2025 El País Sánchez proposes a State pact to address the climate emergency The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has announced that the Government is going to propose a “state pact for the mitigation and adaptation to the climate emergency”, which will involve public administrations, political groups, civil society, science, business and unions, so that the response to and prevention of threats has sufficient resources and remains outside of the political contest. However, he has not given details of what exactly it would consist of, beyond setting a date of September to establish"the foundations" of the proposal. Sánchez has visited the fire coordination center in Ourense together with the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and the President of the Xunta, Alfonso Rueda. Regarding the PP's request for help from the EU Civil Protection mechanism, he said that it was activated on August 12, and that since then,"the largest deployment of this mechanism is probably underway in Spain" since it existed, and he has thanked Slovakia, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Germany for the help provided. Published at: 14:12 CEST 08/17/2025 and modified at 14:37 CEST 08/17/2025

El País

Galicia | Rueda estimates the number of maximum risk fires at 12 and calls for more resources and the mobilization of the army"now"

The president of the Xunta de Galicia, Alfonso Rueda, has estimated the number of level 2 fires, the maximum, in his community at 12, all of them in the province of Ourense. After visiting the Ourense fire coordination center with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, he once again called for the mobilization of the regular army to assist in the firefighting efforts and for more resources, which must arrive"as soon as possible, and as soon as possible is now. This afternoon, if possible."

 
Published at: 1:55 PM CEST 08/17/2025 and modified at 2:12 PM CEST 08/17/2025

El País

Galicia | Traffic interrupted on the A-52 and closures on the N-525 and OU-1009 due to fires

Emergency services in Galicia have reported this Sunday that due to the fires in the region, traffic on the A-52 motorway is interrupted at kilometer 155 and in the right lane at kilometer 260, while the national roads N-525 and OU-1009 remain closed in some sections.

On the N-525, the section in Guimarei (Ourense), between kilometers 178 and 181 (Cualedro) remains closed. In addition, the OU-1009 is closed at kilometer 1, in Cabreiroá-Vilar de Cervos.

On the OU-533, traffic is restricted with alternative routes from kilometer 41 to Petín, in Ourense. (EFE)
Published at: 1:40 PM CEST 08/17/2025

El País

One of the vulture's techniques for identifying where carrion is located is by spotting a group of other vultures flying over a specific spot. After detecting the image, the bird joins the flock, increasing the number of specimens and causing more vultures to come to the area in search of animal carcasses. A scene like this occurred at noon this Saturday on the highest peak in the municipality of Cabezabellosa (Cáceres), Pitolero, at 1,400 meters, where a dozen griffon vultures swirl above the scorched earth."They're having a field day right now," says Ricardo García, a native of the town and around 50 years old, as he inspects the area for the first time since the fire. The ground of Pitolero today looks like a volcanic crater dotted with charred sticks."What a shame, what a shame. This used to be wonderful," laments Míriam Muñoz, 49, García's wife. Minutes earlier, she held back tears as she set foot in the town for the first time after four days of evacuation. Published at: 1:30 PM CEST 08/17/2025

The Country

Castilla y León | Complicated day in León with nine fires of maximum risk

The province of León faces another complicated day of fighting fires, as it has recorded nine at risk level 2, with particular concern about the evolution of those originating in Gestoso, Barniedo de la Reina and Llamas de Cabrera, as well as the wind that could hinder extinction efforts.

The territorial delegate of the Junta in León, Eduardo Diego, reported at noon this Sunday after the Cecopi meeting, that there are nine fires of severity 2: Fasgar, Anllares del Sil, Llamas de Cabrera, Yeres, Paradiña, Barniedo, Canalejas, Caín and Gestoso.

There are about 1,570 people evacuated from thirty towns and 70 confined in three towns, Diego added. (EP)

Published at: 13:21 CEST 08/17/2025

El País

Castilla y León | The two Italian planes are already working on the fire in Barniedo de la Reina (León)

The two CanadAir tanker planes sent by Italy to replace the two French aircraft that arrived this week, began working this Sunday to extinguish the forest fire in Barniedo de la Reina, in the León municipality of Boca de Huérgano, according to sources from the Government subdelegation in León.

These aircraft, sent by the Italian Government through the European Civil Protection Mechanism, activated by the Ministry of the Interior on August 11, arrived on Saturday at the Matacán air base in Salamanca. The planes will work together with another Spanish aircraft to reinforce the extinguishing efforts in one of the most worrying outbreaks in the province. (EP) Published at: 1:16 PM CEST 8/17/2025 El País Castile and León | Another fire, intentional, declared in the area affected by the one in Molezuelas (Zamora) This Sunday, another fire broke out in the town of Cubo de Benavente in Zamora, in the area that has already burned more than 30,000 hectares around Molezuelas de la Carballeda. According to the head of the firefighting operations, Manuel Moreno, it was clearly started intentionally; it was not a rekindling of the previous fire. Moreno explained that the fire broke out at around 7:30 a.m. next to the ZA-111 road in a pine forest that had been spared from the Molezuelas fire. He said it was started intentionally"with the intention of causing a lot of damage," as the new fire is taking firefighting resources away from other fires. The Molezuelas fire was also started intentionally. (EFE) Published at: 1:04 PM CEST 8/17/2025 El País

Arsonists are in the spotlight as one of the main culprits in the wave of fires ravaging Spain. Since June 1, 27 people have been arrested and 83 have been investigated as suspected perpetrators of forest fires, according to data provided this Saturday by the Ministry of the Interior. One of them is a firefighter who is being investigated for a fire that burned 2,200 hectares in Ávila. The man, a local resident, may have committed the crime to obtain a contract, something he achieved 10 days after the fire started.

The Country

Castilla y León | Condition of those injured in wildfires improves slightly

The condition of the five people admitted to the Burns Unit of the Río Hortega University Hospital in Valladolid as a result of the forest fires that broke out in Castilla y León has improved slightly, while the sixth affected person is in stable but serious condition at the Getafe University Hospital (Madrid).

The Department of Health of the Regional Government of Castilla y León has explained that there has been an improvement compared to their situation this Saturday, but four of those admitted remain in critical condition.

These people suffered injuries in the fires that affected the provinces of Zamora and León last week, in which two young people also suffered injuries that caused the death of them in the León municipality

of Nogarejas.

Those hospitalized in critical condition in Valladolid are a woman A 56-year-old man with burns on 48% of his body; a 35-year-old man with burns on 50% of his body; a 64-year-old man with burns on 35% of his body; and an 80-year-old man with burns on 15%. (EFE)

Published at: 12:29 CEST 08/17/2025

El País

Puente says that “it is very likely” that the Madrid-Galicia AVE service will not open today either

The Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, has stated that “it is very likely” that the Madrid-Galicia high-speed service, which has been interrupted since Thursday as a result of the fires, will not be able to resume today.

“As we feared yesterday, it is very likely that we will not be able to resume the Madrid-Galicia LAV service today either,” the minister said on the social network X this Sunday.

Adif announced through this same social network this morning that the line would remain closed at least until noon.

Published at: 12:23 CEST 08/17/2025