Spain has declared a state of emergency in 16 of its 17 regions this summer amid crippling wildfires.
Spain declares ‘disaster’ status with UK tourists in 16 resorts warned
Spain has been forced to declare a “disaster” status with UK tourists in 121 places warned. Spain has declared a state of emergency in 16 of its 17 regions this summer amid crippling wildfires.
This August, Spain experienced one of its most severe wildfire seasons in recent memory, with over 360,000 hectares of land affected across the country. Of this total, approximately 35,400 hectares of agricultural land were destroyed, including arable fields, orchards, and vineyards.
Spain’s Minister of the Interior Fernando Grande-Marlaska said: “Although the emergency episode is not over, it is clear that we are facing one of the biggest environmental catastrophes in recent years. The personal damage to infrastructure and public and private property is undoubtedly high”.
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He stressed the importance of activating the aid mechanism for the victims “as soon as possible so that they can recover a certain degree of normality”. The minister also warned that the fire emergency “has not yet been considered closed”.
“These institutions will have their government by their side at all times and will have all the aid necessary to achieve the greatest possible recovery of the areas affected by the disaster,” he said.
Alongside the EU request, the Spanish government has implemented measures to provide immediate relief to those affected. The European Commission approved advance payments of up to 80% of CAP subsidies for farmers and ranchers impacted by the wildfires.
In an update posted to social media platform X, the Protección Civil explained that the fire danger in the Iberian Peninsula continues to be “extreme” or “very high”.
“The fire danger #IIFF continues to be EXTREME or VERY HIGH in the peninsula,” it said.
The director general of civil protection said today that she sees the end of this nightmare near and said that the 24 hours between Thursday and Friday “can be definitive”.
Virginia Barcones believes that if the emergency devices are deployed then “this tragic episode can be definitively settled”.
Now is the time, she stressed, to consolidate the improvement so that “there is no turning back”.