Wildfires in Spain: there are now 11 dangerous hotspots and 3 fatalities

Spain is experiencing one of the most severe wildfire seasons in recent years, with 11 active outbreaks threatening different regions of the country, thousands of hectares devastated by the flames, and three confirmed fatalities.

Authorities reported that, since the start of the European summer, 25 people accused of causing fires have been arrested, four of them in the last few hours.

Three of the arrests took place in Castilla y León, one of the autonomous communities most affected by the fire. There, in the municipality of Ávila, a man was identified as the alleged perpetrator of an intentional fire that destroyed 2,200 hectares between Cuevas del Valle and Mombeltrán.

According to the Civil Guard, the suspect—a local resident and former employee of the fire extinguishing service—confessed to having started the fire on July 28. The flames spread rapidly due to the wind and the slope of the terrain, and during the same night, a 58-year-old firefighter died in an accident while heading to the operation.

Investigators from SEPRONA and the Forest Fire Investigation Brigade found clear evidence of intentionality and indicated that the accused obtained a job in the sector just ten days after the incident, which may have motivated his actions.

Meanwhile, in Galicia, a 63-year-old woman was arrested in Muxía, La Coruña, for her alleged involvement in five outbreaks that occurred on August 3, 5, 9, and 11. Witnesses claimed to have seen her leaving the forest moments before the flames started, and her statement to the Civil Guard contained significant contradictions. In Ourense, a 28-year-old man was caught while starting a fire in Canibelos, and in the same province, another individual was accused of starting twenty outbreaks and a fire in Celanova.

In the south of the country, a man was arrested in Caños de Meca, Cádiz, with burns on his hands. According to his statement, the fire began when a lit candle ignited an abandoned mattress at a bus stop. Although the flames were quickly brought under control, his testimony incriminated him in the incident.

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska confirmed in an interview with RAC 1 radio that several fires were started intentionally, while others originated from human negligence. "Since the beginning of the summer, 25 people have been arrested for causing fires," he specified.

Castilla y León is the site of the largest fire, with 37,000 hectares consumed, but the fire also affects territories in León, Zamora, Chandrexa de Queixa, Tres Cantos, Tarifa, Cáceres, and Toledo. Galicia and Madrid have also recorded thousands of hectares devastated.