Spain faces 45C heatwave as two major wildfires burn out of control
Spain is entering its third summer heatwave with temperatures forecast to hit 45°C, escalating an already severe wildfire crisis that threatens public health and outdoor labour.
Spain’s State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) forecasts temperatures will climb from Saturday before intensifying from Tuesday and peaking on Thursday at or above 45°C in the south-eastern third of the mainland. This marks the country's third heatwave this summer, driven by a mass of dry, dusty air from North Africa trapped over the peninsula by an atmospheric blocking pattern.
Andalusia, the Ebro valley, the north-eastern depressions, the Genil basin and the interior of Mallorca are expected to register maximums above 40°C for several consecutive days. The public health and economic implications are significant. Aemet warns that exceptionally warm nights will prevent the human body from recovering from daily heat, creating dangerous conditions for the elderly, patients with cardiovascular diseases, and anyone performing outdoor labour.
The extreme heat is also set to push the wildfire risk to extreme levels. Meteorologists warn of dry afternoon thunderstorms in mountainous areas, a hazardous combination that brings lightning but virtually no rain. This threat is already materialising ahead of the official heatwave period.
A blaze near Orés in Zaragoza has become the most destructive fire of the year, scorching roughly 15,400 hectares along a 60-kilometre perimeter and forcing the evacuation of several towns. Mar Vaquero, vice president of the Aragon regional government, noted that while conditions this Saturday are somewhat more favourable than the previous day, the fire remains complex because of shifting winds. In La Mierla, Guadalajara, a second fire declared on Thursday is heading towards 6,000 hectares. José Pablo Sabrido, the government delegate in Castilla-La Mancha, acknowledged that authorities are not optimistic about its evolution.
These events are unfolding against a broken climate record. Between 1 June and 15 July, Spain's average temperature was 3.3°C above normal, surpassing the previous record set in 2024 by 0.4°C. Hugo Morán, president of Aemet and secretary of state for the environment, told "Radio 5" that Spain has entered what he described as a "chain of successive heatwaves." He warned that this continuous state of extreme heat is actively complicating efforts to control the country's escalating wildfire risk.
