New Wildfires Erupt in Portugal and Spain After Record-Breaking Summer

Firefighters in Portugal and Spain are battling a new wave of wildfires following an exceptional summer marked by severe drought and extensive blazes.

In Portugal, the largest fire broke out in the central region of Seia, where more than 600 firefighters have been deployed to contain the flames, fueled by strong winds that forced several road closures. 

A spokesperson for the Civil Protection Authority told the Portuguese news agency Lusa that the top priority is “protecting homes.” Police later confirmed the arrest of a suspect believed to have started the fire.

In neighboring Spain, authorities imposed precautionary measures in the village of Castromil in the northwest after a new blaze erupted nearby, while one of the earlier fires reignited due to strong winds, according to officials in the Castilla y León region.

Spain only last week lifted a state of emergency that had been in place for weeks during one of the country’s worst wildfire seasons in recent memory, which killed four people and burned more than 300,000 hectares.

Portugal has also endured devastating fires this year. Blazes that swept across the central and northern regions in August left four people dead and destroyed around 254,000 hectares, the worst toll since 2017, according to the National Institute for Nature and Forest Conservation.

The national meteorological agency reported that Portugal experienced its hottest and driest summer since 1931, conditions that have sharply increased the risk of wildfires.