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Date Published: 21/08/2025

Spain’s worst wildfire season in decades leaves scars for people, land and firefighters

Nearly 400,000 hectares have already burned, firefighters push through exhausting conditions, and dozens face arrest for arson or negligence

Spain is enduring the worst wildfire season of the century, with around twenty serious fires still active across the country. So far this year 391,581 hectares have gone up in flames, far surpassing the devastation seen in previous summers and already making 2025 one of the darkest years on record.

The end of the heatwave and the return of rainfall have given firefighters some much-needed help, although strong winds remain a constant worry. Transport Minister Óscar Puente confirmed that high-speed trains between Madrid and Galicia resumed on Wednesday afternoon after a week-long suspension. The Director General of Civil Protection, Virginia Barcones, noted that “the scenario is more favourable,” with fewer emergency medical activations now required.

On the frontline

In Ourense, where more than 67,500 hectares have already burned, the province remains under emergency status 2. The Larouco fire alone has ripped through 20,000 hectares and affected ten municipalities. Sandra Martínez, head of the fire prevention service, described the change in mood: “Finally we are making progress on extinguishing the fires,” she said, after days when crews could do little more than defend villages from the advancing flames.

But those working on the frontline have long argued their jobs come at too high a personal cost. Spain’s BRIF brigades, the elite units parachuted into the worst blazes, have been campaigning since 2018 for recognition as firefighters rather than “forest labourers.” This week, after years of protest, a revised agreement was finally published in the Official State Gazette.

The deal raises base salaries by 15 to 20 per cent, setting pay between €19,403.52 and €36,155.68 depending on rank. Overtime now carries surcharges of up to 100 per cent on weekends and holidays, with night shifts and overnight stays also compensated. “The progress published today… is something as important as moving from being considered forest labourers to forest firefighters,” said Ecological Transition Minister Sara Aagesen.

Crucially, the agreement limits effective fire-extinguishing work to eight hours per shift and establishes strict rest periods between missions. Firefighters say this will not only save lives on the frontline but also allow them a better balance with family life. With three colleagues already killed this month in León, safety is never far from their minds.

Human responsibility

Alongside the brutal conditions, the role of human activity is under sharper scrutiny than ever. Officials estimate that more than 90 per cent of fires in Spain are caused by people, whether through carelessness or deliberate arson. The Ministry for Ecological Transition puts the figure even higher, at 96 per cent, with over half of cases believed to be intentional.

Since June, police and Civil Guard officers have arrested 33 people and placed 93 more under investigation. Cases range from a man in Zamora whose reckless waste storage sparked a blaze that destroyed 4,000 hectares, to an elderly resident of Celanova accused of several attempted arsons. In Galicia, one suspected arsonist is already being held in provisional custody without bail.

Behind the statistics lie long-standing tensions. Conservation groups argue that the high proportion of deliberate fires reflects “serious social and economic conflicts” that have festered for decades in depopulated rural Spain.

The consequences are devastating. Under Spain’s Criminal Code, those convicted of setting fires that endanger human life face 10 to 20 years in prison. Even when lives are not directly threatened, prison terms of up to six years can be imposed where large-scale environmental damage occurs.

Tragically, the flames have already claimed four lives this August: three firefighters in León and a Romanian stable worker in Madrid who died while trying to save horses from the blaze.

Looking ahead

Only days ago President of Spain Pedro Sánchez promised state aid and special emergency zone declarations for the worst-hit regions. With thousands displaced, farmland destroyed and Camino de Santiago routes damaged, recovery will take time.

For now, the hope is that falling temperatures and much-needed rain will give exhausted brigades the upper hand. But with nearly 400,000 hectares already lost, dozens facing court and communities traumatised, 2025 is set to leave scars long after the smoke clears.

Image: BRIF (firefighters) Workers Association

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