The Spanish government on Tuesday categorised the recent wildfires sweeping the country as among its most serious environmental crises in years and signed off on relief for the affected regions.
The term used of ‘area seriously affected by a civil protection emergency’ is often referred to as ‘disaster zone’. It also applied to areas of Valencia hit by the catastrophic ‘DANA’ floods last October.
With the government designating the fire-stricken zones as disaster areas, direct aid, tax incentives and other support for impacted communities are triggered.
Since flaring earlier this month, the blazes have scorched more than 350,000 hectares, left four people dead, and forced thousands to evacuate their homes temporarily. ALSO READ: Pedro Sánchez promises financial aid for reconstruction of areas hit by wildfires.
‘It is obvious we are facing one of the biggest environmental catastrophes in recent years,’ Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska (main image) said at a news conference following the weekly cabinet meeting.
As of Tuesday, authorities were still battling 15 active wildfires at level two, the category indicating a threat to people and property. ALSO READ: Spain’s wildfires almost all under control, but ‘final effort’ still required.
The right-wing opposition People’s Party (PP) has accused socialist (PSOE) Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s central government of dragging its feet in supporting Spain’s regional administrations, which handle disaster response. The worst-hit regions – Castilla y León, Extremadura and Galicia in the north and west – are governed regionally by the PP. ALSO READ: Spain’s wildfires spark new political clash, as PP call civil protection head ‘just another arsonist’.
On Monday, PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo blasted the government for poor planning and unveiled a 50-point plan that includes creating a national registry of arsonists.
Grande-Marlaska countered that ‘all available state resources’ had been deployed, with additional help arriving from foreign firefighting teams. He also accused the PP of ‘using these difficult moments for many people as part of their political agenda’.
While the minister said the government would examine the opposition’s proposals, he stressed that arson accounts for only a small share of the incidents.
The fires ignited during a two-week heatwave that pushed temperatures above 40C. Scientists say climate change is making heatwaves longer, more intense, and more frequent worldwide, creating conditions that fuel wildfires. ALSO READ: AEMET: recent heatwave in Spain ‘the most intense since records began’.
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Se declaran como zonas afectadas gravemente a todas aquellas que han sufrido alguno de los 113 incendios forestales ocasionados este verano.
— La Moncloa (@desdelamoncloa) August 26, 2025
✅ Se incluyen 5 territorios que han sufrido DANAS o fuertes lluvias.
Lo cuenta el ministro del @interiorgob, Fernando Grande-Marlaska 👇 pic.twitter.com/1T3moBqlnW
El Consejo de Ministros declara “zona afectada gravemente por una emergencia de protección civil” el territorio afectado como consecuencia de los incendios forestales y otras emergencias de protección civil acaecidas entre el 23 de junio y el 25 de agosto de 2025.
— La Moncloa (@desdelamoncloa) August 26, 2025
Más detalles🧵 pic.twitter.com/r4Pte8TPeR
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