Fire weather. A combination of heat, drought, and strong winds, is increasing globally, with climate change playing a significant role in making wildfires more frequent and severe; Spain has experienced increasingly frequent and prolonged heatwaves in recent years, with temperatures often exceeding 40°C, creating conditions for major wildfires.

Spain’s Worst Wildfire Year in Recent History

More than 393,000 hectares (971,000 acres) burned in Spain in 2025, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), marking it as the country’s worst wildfire year in recent history. Climate change has extended the global wildfire season by about two weeks on average, increasing the likelihood of fire in southern Europe, the US, and Australia.

In Tres Cantos, firefighters battled flames in residential areas. A man in his 50s was severely burned and later died in hospital. Video footage showed emergency crews responding to the fire. Around 1,000 soldiers joined firefighters in battling blazes in regions including Castile and Leon, Castile-La Mancha, Andalusia, and Galicia. Thousands of people were evacuated from homes and hotels, particularly in the south of the country.

Fires Across Southern Europe

On Tuesday afternoon, regional authorities announced that some holidaymakers could return to their hotels. In Portugal, more than 700 firefighters were working to control a blaze in the municipality of Trancoso, located about 350 kilometers (217 miles) northeast of Lisbon. Smaller fires were also reported further north.

In Turkey, a major wildfire that broke out in the Canakkale province was largely brought under control. The fire, which started on agricultural land, was fanned by strong winds and spread to forested and residential areas. It forced the evacuation of 2,000 residents, some by sea — and led to 77 hospitalizations due to smoke exposure, according to officials.

Climate Change and Wildfire Trends

Scientific evidence indicates that human-caused climate change is increasing the likelihood of wildfires and the size of burned areas in southern Europe, northern Eurasia, the US, and Australia. In southern China, there is also some evidence of an increase in wildfire occurrences. These trends highlight the growing challenge of managing fire-prone scenes in a warming world.