Temperatures are forecast to surpass 42C in Spain this week as a heatwave reaches its peak and forecasters warn of wildfires burning across the country.
Firefighters in central Spain are currently battling a wildfire that has burned more than 32,000 hectares in one of the largest blazes in recent history.
The fire in rural Guadalajara comes less than two weeks after a deadly blaze devastated a small expat community in southern Spain, which killed 13 people, including a number of Brits, in one of Spain’s deadliest wildfires.
Heatwave Peak and Alerts
Spain’s weather agency said a heatwave that began on Tuesday (July 21) was expected to reach its peak between Wednesday and Thursday (July 22 and 23), with temperatures pushing 40C in several inland areas and even crossing 42C in parts of Andalusia in southern Spain.
Red, amber and yellow alerts for high temperatures have been issued across mainland Spain including in Alicante, Valencia, Murcia, Cadiz and Cordoba among other areas.
Government Response
On Wednesday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited the fire-ravaged area in Guadalajara where around 34 villages have been evacuated but no serious injuries or deaths have been reported. Mr Sanchez called for a national pact among all political parties to fight climate change.
“Year after year we clearly see how climate change kills and destroys wealth in our communities,” Mr Sanchez said in the village of Tamajon. “This isn’t politics. It is science, it’s about facts.”
Spain has this year suffered 22 major forest fires, which is defined as a fire that burns more than 500 hectares. The fires have burned four times the amount of terrain compared with July last year, Mr Sanchez said.
The leader said more than 100,000 hectares had already been scorched through the first half of the year, matching the total yearly average for Spain over the last decade.
Spain’s minister for the ecological transition, Sara Aagesen, described the Guadalajara fire as “one of the largest in the recent history of our country” and the largest ever for the region of Castilla La Mancha.
Firefighting Efforts
Regional authorities said firefighters supported by water-dumping aircraft had so far protected the homes of all 40 villages in the burned area, 90% of which belongs to a national park.
Firefighters hope to have the nearly week-old fire under control by Friday, said Emiliano Garcia-Page, regional president of Castilla La Mancha.
Like other countries across the world, Spain is experiencing extreme heat, which is combining with wind and limited rainfall to create ideal conditions for small wildfires to grow unchecked.
Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing twice as quickly as the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Globally, 2025 was the third-hottest year on record, bringing severe heatwaves across Europe.
Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness especially in south-eastern Europe, making the region more vulnerable to health impacts and wildfires.
