Over 3,500 km2 burn in wildfires in two weeks in Spain but cooler air and rain helps the crisis

After almost two weeks, Spain is still confronting fires that have ravaged tens of thousands of hectares in regions such as Galicia, Castilla y León, and Extremadura. The high temperatures of the heatwave, combined with wind and low humidity, have fuelled the fires, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people and the mobilisation of extensive land and air resources.

Although improved weather conditions in recent hours have brought some relief to certain areas, the scale of the emergency remains enormous. With parts still burning and unprecedented environmental damage, the wave of fires has become one of the most serious the country has seen in recent years.

The extent of the damage has led the public prosecutor's office for the environment to ask its provincial representatives to "verify" that the most affected municipalities had the correct fire prevention plans in place as required by a 2003 forestry law.

The most devastation continues to be seen in northwest Spain. On Thursday this week, after ten days, the wildfire in Jarilla (Extremadura) - that region's most severe - had been stabilised, burning 16,700 hectares. In Asturias, cooler temperatures improved the situation, though one fire there remained a concern. In Castilla y León, 25 fires were still active, with the most serious in León and Zamora, despite the end of the heatwave and some rain. Galicia faced the worst fire in its history in Ourense province, with 30,000 hectares burned. Authorities hoped changed weather conditions would help control the blazes, but the scale of destruction - with thousands evacuated and vast areas scorched - shows that the emergency is far from over.

In total, the EU fire monitoring website said over 350,000 hectares (some 3,500km2) had burned in Spain in the last two weeks.

The regional governments in areas affected by the forest fires in August have begun the process of applying for disaster area status, an essential step for those affected to access emergency aid.

Four people have died in the fires and over a hundred people have been arrested and questioned in different locations under suspicion of starting fires either accidentally or deliberately.

Spain accepted international aid from five European countries to combat active forest fires. Germany is deploying 50-60 firefighters with 20+ vehicles to Extremadura. Slovakia has provided a BlackHawk helicopter stationed at Pinofranqueado base in Cáceres. The Netherlands is sending two Chinook helicopters to León Air Base.

France and Italy have already contributed aircraft. Two French Canadair tankers operated from Santiago de Compostela before returning home, while two Italian aircraft helped with firefighting missions in León.