Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said that the deadly wildfires which have devastated 382,000 hectares of land and killed four people show the need to 'readjust and recalibrate' the country's preparation and response capacities as part of a non-partisan effort to tackle the impacts of the climate emergency.
Speaking during a visit to Extremadura on Tuesday, Sánchez said that while the record-breaking 16-day heatwave that had fanned the flames was over, 'difficult hours' lay ahead as firefighters continued to battle huge blazes. According to Spain’s Carlos III public health institute, 1,149 excess deaths between 3 and 18 August are likely to have been linked to the heatwave.
Sánchez called for a 'state pact' to address the climate emergency, saying that policies must 'move beyond legislatures and turn into state policies that bind all our institutions and all those that govern'. He said people affected by the fires expected a non-ideological approach that went beyond four-year governmental terms.
The opposition conservative People's Party (PP) accused Sánchez of using the pact as a 'smokescreen' to deflect criticism of his handling of the crisis. PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo said the prime minister had ignored calls for more troops and failed to invest sufficiently in prevention.
Police in Spain have arrested 32 people for suspected arson since 1 June, with 93 others under investigation. In neighbouring Portugal, thousands of firefighters continue to tackle blazes that have claimed two lives and burned about 235,000 hectares of land.
