Spain is reeling under immense heat which has hampered the efforts by personnel to control 20 major wildfires across the country on Sunday, which triggered the government to deploy an extra 500 soldiers from the military emergency unit to support operations of firefighting, taking the total number of troops deployed to 1,900. One of the most affected areas in Spain is the northwestern region of Galicia, where several wildfires have combined to form a large blaze which has led to the closure of highways and rail services in the region. Almost the entire Southern Europe is experiencing its worst wildfire seasons in two decades, with Spain facing the hardest brunt among the countries. According to the EU's European Forest Fire Information System, wildfires have burned more than 158,000 hectares so far this year, an area as big as metropolitan London while three people have also lost their lives. Neighbouring Portugal is also battling the wildfire brunt. Spain’s national weather agency AEMET has predicted that the temperatures are expected to soar up to 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in some areas on Sunday. 🟢⚪️⚫️ Extremadura nos necesita y el @EjercitoAire y sus pilotos del 43 Grupo siguen, minuto a minuto, trabajando para sofocar las llamas. 🎥 Imágenes de ataque al fuego en #Hervás. pic.twitter.com/tkSveZx1oN — Ministerio Defensa (@Defensagob) August 17, 2025 During a press briefing in Ourense, one of the most affected areas, the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said “There are still some challenging days ahead and, unfortunately, the weather is not on our side,” Reuters reported. PM Sanchez announced an increase in military reinforcements by 500 troops, bringing the total number of soldiers deployed to 1,900. Aircraft from France and Italy are already helping the Spanish authorities to contain the wildfires, and two more water dumping planes from Netherlands are expected to join the containment efforts, with firefighters from other countries also set to arrive in the coming days, said Civil Protection Agency chief Virginia Barcones, reported Sky News. Temperatures are expected to drop from Tuesday onwards but the weather conditions for now remain “very adverse”, said director general of emergency services, Virginia Barcones.
