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A fresh wave of wildfires has hit Spain, with the most serious new outbreak prompting the full lockdown of a town in the province of Toledo and forcing dozens of people to evacuate their homes.

 

Around 2,000 residents were ordered to stay indoors over the weekend while firefighters worked to control the flames, and 60 people were evacuated from a nearby residential development as a precaution. Authorities have not yet confirmed the full extent of the damage, but this blaze is part of a wider pattern of escalating fire risk across the country this summer.

 

Also over the weekend, a major fire broke out in Valdecaballeros, Badajoz, destroying more than 2,500 hectares of land. The Extremadura regional government believes this particular fire was started deliberately. These are just two of around a dozen wildfires currently affecting mainland Spain, all fuelled by intense heat, strong winds and bone-dry conditions.

 

Adding to the pressure, firefighters had to battle another blaze over the weekend around the Torrevieja lagoon in Alicante province. The flames spread alarmingly close to residential areas, and emergency teams worked for hours to contain the fire and prevent damage to nearby homes.

 

These latest incidents follow on from last week’s wildfire near Madrid, which scorched 3,000 hectares and led to mass evacuations across several towns. With each new outbreak, the scale and urgency of the crisis become clearer.

 

According to figures from Spain’s Ministry for Ecological Transition, more than 31,500 hectares of land have already burned in 2025. That’s a sharp increase on the 26,000 hectares reported by the same date last year. The most recent data, updated to Sunday July 13, recorded 24,133 hectares destroyed, but that figure does not yet include the fires of the past week.

 

It’s not just the overall area that’s growing. The number of large wildfires, defined as those burning over 500 hectares, is also on the rise. Ten major blazes have already been recorded this year, compared to nine by this point in 2024. Last year’s total was 16.

 

Much of the problem is being driven by what experts are calling an “early summer”, with several parts of Spain seeing extreme heat arrive weeks earlier than usual. Temperatures have repeatedly climbed above 40ºC, drying out the landscape and making it far easier for fires to ignite and spread.

 

With conditions set to remain hot and dry, emergency crews across the country remain on high alert. If current trends continue, 2025 could prove to be one of the most challenging wildfire seasons Spain has faced in recent years.

 

 

 

Image:Proyecto Mastral/X