Spain has 16 most worrying fires, especially in Castile

Spain faces a new round of fighting this Saturday, with 16 fires deserving more attention, following the evacuation of residents in places like Castile and León, although the situation is more favorable due to improved weather conditions.

The risk of fires this Saturday in Spain is “very high or extreme”, especially in the northwest and south, so it is important to “take extreme precautions”, warned the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet).

At this time, a total of 16 fires remain in operational status 2, of which 11 are in Castile and León (León, Palença, Salamanca and Zamora), four in Galicia and one in Asturias, according to data provided by the State Coordination Committee (CECOD) against fires.

The fires in Ourense (Oimbra and Larouco) showed favorable progress, as did those in León (Yeres and Barniedo de la Reina) and Zamora (Porto). The only one that continues to progress unfavorably is the one in Igüeña (León), as the terrain hinders access for ground teams operating in the most dangerous active front, the northern one.

Meanwhile, in Galicia, a woman from the municipality of Carballo (A Coruña) was released after being detained by the Civil Guard following suspicions related to 11 forest fires.

To date, the number of hectares burned in Spain exceeds 400,000, according to the latest estimates from the European Copernicus service.

The Director General of Spanish Civil Protection said today that "the worst is over" and that the end of the fires that have been raging in Spain for two weeks is "ever closer."

Speaking to Spanish television station TVE, cited by AFP, Virginia Barcones explained that “there is not much left and the end is near.”

Spain is the EU country with the largest area burned this year so far and there are records of at least four deaths.

Hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes, with many residents having already returned in the last 24 hours.

After a 16-day heat wave that saw temperatures reach 45°C in some regions of Spain, forecasts point to lower temperatures and reduced wind intensity, resulting in "more favorable conditions" for putting out the fires, explained Virginia Barcones.

On August 11, the Spanish government activated the European Civil Protection Mechanism to request international resources and received assistance from nine EU countries, representing the largest contingent of international aid to reach the country since 1975, according to Spanish Civil Protection.