Spain Endures Record Heatwave as Fires Devastate Countryside

Spain has just faced its most intense heatwave on record, the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) confirmed on Sunday, with soaring temperatures fuelling deadly wildfires across the north and west.

Between August 3–18, average temperatures were 4.6°C (40.2°F) higher than the seasonal norm, breaking the last record set in July 2022. Temperatures reached as high as 43°C (109°F) in some regions.

“That four of the five most intense heat waves have occurred since 2019 is no coincidence,” AEMET said. “Not every summer will always be warmer than the previous one, but the trend toward more extreme summers is clear. The keys: adaptation and mitigation of climate change.”

Spain’s Carlos III Health Institute estimated that more than 1,100 deaths were linked to this August’s extreme heat. The conditions also created tinderbox landscapes, pushing firefighters to the brink as massive blazes tore through forests and farmland.

The Spanish army has deployed 3,400 troops and 50 aircraft, with reinforcements from the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Slovakia.

So far, over 382,000 hectares (944,000 acres), about 3,820 square kilometers, have been destroyed, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.

Most of southern Europe is enduring its worst wildfire season in two decades. The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service has reported that Europe has been warming at twice the global average since the 1980s.

The World Health Organization has also warned:

“With climate change leading to warmer temperatures and drier conditions and the increasing urbanization of rural areas, the fire season is starting earlier and ending later. Wildfire events are getting more extreme in terms of acres burned, duration and intensity, and they can disrupt transportation, communications, water supply, and power and gas services.”