The British Foreign Office has revised its Spanish travel advice – as the country faces a "very high or extreme" wildfire threat.
Temperatures have soared to 45C in Spain, which has fuelled several blazes, including multiple across northwestern regions in recent days. Soldiers continue to support firefighters across the Galicia and Extremadura regions in particular, both of which border Portugal.
And, with around two weeks left of the school summer holidays, the danger poses a threat to British holidaymakers considering the Iberian Peninsula – or with trips booked there already. The Foreign Office's website now reads: "There is a high risk of wildfires during the summer season from April to October."
But it doesn't warn against travelling to Spain, which last year welcomed more than 18 million visits from Brits. Holidaymakers, though, should be aware the smaller, sparsely populated towns, especially across Galicia in the northwestern tip of Spain, have been ravaged by the fires.
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Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says the deadly wildfires are proof that sustained, non-partisan effort is needed to tackle climate emergencies in Spain.
"We need to prepare and be better equipped with mechanisms and tools so that we can mitigate the effects of these climate emergencies when they happen," Sánchez said. "The climate emergency is getting worse and more recurrent each year, and the effects of that emergency are accelerating each year."
"For all the scientific predictions about how the climate emergency would apparently evolve, we're seeing that it's getting worse and hitting much harder each year, particularly across the Iberian peninsula. We need to readjust and recalibrate both our response and prevention capacities."
Major wildfires have torn through a number of regions in Spain, including Extremadura, Galicia, and Castile and Leon.
But southern Spain is currently unaffected – with flights to tourist hotspots such as Malaga and Seville still going ahead today. The Foreign Office's website reads: "There is a high risk of wildfires during the summer season from April to October," but it has not warned against travelling to Spain.
A four-year-old boy is one of those killed in Spai amind the heatwave.
He died from heatstroke amid a deadly European heatwave as wildfires in Spain threaten a UNESCO site and French cities hit record temperatures.
The four-year-old Romanian boy was on holiday with his parents in Olmedo in the northwest of Sardinia, Italy. It is thought that the child left the house they were staying at before they realised he was missing earlier today.
Spain's wildfires follow blazes across Greece. Tourist hotspots, including Athens, were recently deemed "high risk".
Locals and tourists evacuated in several areas. Zante, Kefalonia and Chios – all popular destinations for British holidaymakers – have seen devastating blazes.
Dozens in Greece have been hospitalised with smoke inhalation.
Greece fires: Tourist hotspots deemed 'high risk' amid 40C heatwave chaos
A 'megafire' will engulf a Spanish region if urgent action isn't taken, officials have warned.
The Extremadura region in the west of the country is experiencing one of the most serious environmental crises in its recent history as forest fires sweep across the area. More than 30,000 hectares of land have been burned so far, making it one of the worst-hit regions during a summer in which woodlands, fields, and hills across Spain, Portugal, and France have been destroyed.
The most critical fire is the Jarilla fire in the province of Cáceres, which has razed more than 15,500 hectares. Now, Extremadura's Minister of the Presidency, Interior, and Social Dialogue, Abel Bautista, has issued a stark alert as firefighters struggle to get the flames under control.
Mr Bautista has warned that a "megafire" will take over imminently if more resources aren't provided to tackle the problem.
Exact date 'megafire' could engulf Spanish hotspots as locals call for 'urgent' help
Holidaymakers in Spain have been issued with an extreme wildfire warning with the alert stretching across tourist hotspots.
It comes after crippling heatwave temperatures caused fires in parts of the country. On Sunday, forecasters listed a high of 45.8C in the port city of Cádiz in Andalusia, southwestern Spain
Weather agency Aemet now says there is “very high or extreme fire danger” for most parts of the country. The agency warned locals to be careful due to the ongoing chaos. “Although the heatwave is starting to subside, very high temperatures will still be reached today in the east and south of the peninsula,” it said. “Be cautious.”
Spain wildfires: Urgent warning with 'extreme danger' in tourist hotspots
Dramatic photographs show tourists and locals aghast the wildfires in northwestern Spain.
Flames roar from structures, some thought to be homes across the regions.
Firefighters are seen bravely tackling the flames.
Despite the advice from the Foreign Office, travel to Spain is still permitted so planes are primed to take off for the nation this morning.
Major UK airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham, run flights to various Spanish destinations throughout weekdays in the summer.
One of the first – a British Airways flight for Madrid – is scheduled to jet off as planned from Heathrow at 6.15am, as is the 5.50am Ryanair service from Manchester to Malaga.
Temperatures have peaked at a sweltering 45C across Spain.
This has led to the wildfires in the nation.
But, though the wildfires are being monitored, the heatwave is expected to ease in the coming days.
In Portugal, more than 3,700 firefighters are tackling blazes, including four major ones in the north and central regions.
Wildfires there have burned about 235,000 hectares or 907 square miles — nearly five times more than the 2006-2024 average for this period. Two people there have died.
Europe has been warming twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, according to Copernicus. Scientists say that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness in parts of Europe, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires.
The deadly wildfires sweeping across southern Europe have claimed at least eight lives in recent days, leaving several others – including firefighters – injured.
Four of those killed have been in Spain, it is understood.
No further details about the victims has yet been disclosed.
In Galicia, large stretches of unmanaged vegetation and depopulated villages in forested land have led to the buildup of wildfire fuel, said Adrian Regos, an ecologist at the Biological Mission of Galicia, a research institute.
The fires in Spain have killed four people this year and burned more than 382,000 hectares or about 1,475 square miles, according to the European Union’s European Forest Fire Information System. That surface area is more than twice the size of metropolitan London, more than six times the 2006-2024 average for land burned during the same period.
Air quality deteriorated across large parts of Spain over the past week as a result of the wildfires, data from the EU’s Copernicus climate monitoring agency showed. Smoke from the Iberian Peninsula fires reached France, the UK, and Scandinavia, it said.
Several fires have been caused by human activity. Police have detained 23 people for suspected arson and are investigating 89 more, Spain's Civil Guard said Tuesday.
The majority of the 18 million visits to Spain from Brits last year were for holidays across southern Spain.
Brits love Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca and other areas for their golden beaches and bustling nightlife.
The environment is somewhat different in northern Spain – far more rural and sparse landscapes – and so more prone to wildfires in the summer.
No significant wildfires have been reported across Costa del Sol – home to Málaga, Torremolinos and other tourist destinations – or indeed Costa Blanca, famous for Benidorm.
The latest guidance from the Foreign Office adds: "Wildfires happen often in Spain, including on the islands, during the summer months. Be aware of your environment when visiting or driving through woodland areas. For information on wildfire risk, visit the Spanish Meteorological Office (AEMET).
"Causing a wildfire is a criminal offence in Spain, even if unintentional. Make sure cigarette ends are properly extinguished, do not light barbecues and do not leave empty bottles behind. You can be heavily fined for not following the rules against lighting outdoor barbecues in forest areas. Make sure you know the rules if considering a barbecue.
"Immediately report any fire you see to the emergency services on 112. In the case of wildfires, the situation can change quickly, so you should stay up to date with official advice."
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says the wildfires are as a result of climate change.
He says he feels the consequences will be greatest for farmers and rural communities, of which there are plenty across northern and northwestern Spain.
Science tells us, common sense tells us too, especially that of farmers and ranchers, of those who live in rural areas, that the climate is changing, that the climate emergency is becoming more and more recurrent, more frequent and has an ever greater impact,” Mr Sánchez said.
The fires in Galicia have ravaged small, sparsely populated towns – forcing locals in many cases to step in before firefighters arrive.
Firefighting units from Germany arrived in northern Spain on Tuesday to help fight the blazes, Spain's Interior Ministry announced. More than 20 vehicles were deployed to help fight an ongoing blaze in Jarilla in the Extremadura region that borders Portugal, the ministry said.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the area Tuesday and spoke of the heat that has fueled the fires. Temperatures across Spain dropped by about 4 degrees Celsius (about 7 degrees Fahrenheit) Tuesday after a 16-day heat wave with several days above 40 C (104 F), Spain’s weather agency reported.
Following the major wildfires yesterday, the Foreign Office revised its Spanish travel advisory, stating: "There is a high risk of wildfires during the summer season from April to October."
Officials warn that severe weather conditions can impact numerous Spanish regions, particularly throughout the warmer months.
But crucially, it hasn't added Spain to the "no go" travel list.
Spain is experiencing one of the country's most destructive wildfire seasons in recent decades.
Temperatures are dropping – but they had peaked at 45C last week.
Thousands of firefighters aided by soldiers and water-bombing aircraft continue to fires tearing through parched woodland. It is especially severe in northwestern Spain, where the country's weather agency AEMET reported a still “very high or extreme” fire risk — particularly in the Galicia region.
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