Spain has escalated its response to a series of raging wildfires by deploying an additional 500 soldiers, bringing the total number of troops battling the blazes to nearly 2,000, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on Sunday.

The wildfires, fueled by a prolonged heatwave and strong winds, have scorched approximately 390,000 acres—roughly the size of metropolitan London—making this one of the worst wildfire seasons in Spain in two decades.

In the northwestern region of Galicia, firefighters and military personnel are struggling to contain 20 major wildfires, with 12 concentrated around the city of Ourense, according to regional leader Alfonso Rueda. Speaking at a press conference alongside Sánchez, Rueda highlighted the severity of the situation, noting that several fires have merged into a massive blaze, forcing the closure of highways and rail services in the region. The Spanish government has also requested additional aircraft support from other European nations, with two Canadair water bomber planes already deployed through the EU’s civil protection mechanism.

The fires, driven by temperatures reaching up to 45°C (113°F) in some areas, have claimed at least seven lives this summer, including a volunteer firefighter, marking the sixth wildfire-related fatality in Spain this year. Emergency services chief Virginia Barcones described the situation as “extremely worrying,” noting that the combination of a nearly two-week heatwave and southerly winds has created “very adverse” conditions for firefighting efforts. The national weather agency, AEMET, has warned that extreme fire risk persists across most of the country, with temperatures expected to remain high until at least Tuesday.

In Galicia’s Villardevós, residents have resorted to using buckets of water to combat flames due to power outages disabling water pumps. “The fireplanes come in from all sides, but they don’t come here,” local resident Basilio Rodriguez told Reuters, expressing frustration at the lack of aerial support in some areas. The fires have also disrupted major travel periods, with road and rail closures impacting the “Operación Salida” summer travel rush. The Guardia Civil has arrested 27 individuals and is investigating 92 others for suspected arson since June, raising concerns about deliberate fire-setting amid the crisis.

Spain’s wildfires are part of a broader trend across southern Europe, where scorching temperatures have fueled devastating blazes in Portugal, Greece, and France. Portugal has reported 155,000 hectares burned this year, while Greece continues to battle a major fire on the island of Chios. Europe, identified as the world’s fastest-warming continent, is increasingly vulnerable to climate-driven disasters, with scientists warning that such events will become more frequent and severe.

The crisis has sparked political debate in Spain, with Prime Minister Sánchez calling for a nationwide pact to address the accelerating climate emergency. “There are still some challenging days ahead, and unfortunately, the weather is not on our side,” Sánchez said, urging unified action to mitigate the growing threat of wildfires. Meanwhile, local authorities remain optimistic about stabilizing some fires, such as a major blaze near Molezuelas de la Carbellada in Castile and León, which has not advanced since Thursday.

As firefighting efforts continue, thousands of residents have been evacuated across Spain, with temporary shelters housing displaced individuals. In Cádiz, 700 evacuees from the Tarifa wildfire, stabilized on August 6, have been allowed to return home, though suspicions of arson persist. The Spanish government, supported by 1,000 personnel from the Military Emergency Unit (UME), remains on high alert as the nation braces for further challenges in this unprecedented wildfire season. (ILKHA)