Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez has visited the fire-ravaged area in Guadalajara, as firefighters fought one of the country’s largest blazes on record.
Firefighters in central Spain battled the wildfire that has burned over 32,000 hectares (79,000 acres). The fire in rural Guadalajara comes less than two weeks after a deadly blaze devastated a small expat community in southern Spain. That fire killed 13 people, including several foreigners, in one of the southern European country’s deadliest wildfires.
Speaking in the village of Tamajón, located less than two hours by car northeast of Madrid, Sánchez called for a pact between political parties to fight climate change.
“Year after year we clearly see how climate change kills and destroys wealth in our communities. This isn’t politics. It is science, it’s about facts.”
Pedro Sánchez
This year, Spain has already suffered 22 major forest fires, defined as a fire that burns over 500 hectares (1,235 acres.) Sánchez, the Socialist leader, disclosed that over 100,000 hectares (247,000 acres) had already been scorched through the first half of the year, matching the total yearly average for Spain over the last decade.
Spain’s Minister for Ecological Transition, Sara Aagesen, described the Guadalajara fire as “one of the largest in the recent history of our country” and the largest ever for the region of Castilla La Mancha.
According to data from the ecological transition ministry, the Guadalajara blaze is the second-largest on record in Spain’s history after some 37,000 hectares (91,000 acres) were burned last year in the northwest of the country.
About 34 villages have been evacuated in the area but there are no reported serious injuries or deaths. Over 200 firefighters were supported by land vehicles and aircraft today.
Regional authorities said firefighters supported by water-dumping aircraft had so far protected homes in all 40 villages in the burned area, 90% of which belongs to a national park. Emiliano García-Page, Regional President of Castilla La Mancha said that firefighters hope to have the nearly week-old fire under control by Friday.
Wildfire Amid Heatwave
The fire comes amid a heatwave in Spain. Spain’s weather agency said that a heat wave that began on Tuesday was expected to reach its peak between today and Thursday, with temperatures pushing 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in several inland areas and crossing 42 Celsius (108 Fahrenheit) in parts of Andalusia in southern Spain. Guadalajara and large areas of Spain were under alert for high temperatures.
Like many other European countries, Spain is experiencing extreme heat, which is combining with wind and limited rainfall to create ideal conditions for small wildfires to grow unchecked.
In Italy, several fires burned across Sicily today, prompting scattered evacuations. For days, Italy’s Civil Protection agency has declared all of Sicily at the highest risk for wildfires. Winds and temperatures near or above 40 C (100 F) have fueled blazes from near Palermo on the northern coast to Catania in the east and now Agrigento in the west.
Greece was also sweltering under what was forecast to be the last of a four-day heat wave. Temperatures were predicted to top 42 C (107 F), while several regions in southern and central Greece, including the wider Athens area, were on the highest alert level for wildfire danger. Cyprus, meanwhile, issued a warning for high temperatures expected to reach 43 C (109 F).
In Britain, it hasn’t rained in more than a month in some areas, and much of the southern half of England is in a state of “prolonged dry weather,” one step before a drought. Thames Water, the country’s biggest water company, has banned its 10 million customers from using hoses to water lawns or wash cars starting Thursday.
According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing twice as quickly as the global average since the 1980s. Globally, 2025 was the third-hottest year on record, bringing severe heat waves across Europe.
Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness especially in southeastern Europe, making the region more vulnerable to health impacts and wildfires.
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