Spain, Portugal, and Greece unite to fight wildfires

MADRID, AUGUST 16 – Firefighters in Spain, Portugal, and Greece continued struggling to control wildfires on Friday, a public holiday in all three countries, as hot and dry weather made their task more difficult.

In Spain, 14 large fires were still active, with temperatures expected to rise further over the weekend. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned on X that it would be “another very tough day, with an extreme risk of new fires.”

The national weather agency, AEMET, said most of the country faced extreme fire risk, including areas in the north and west where the largest blazes were burning. The ongoing heatwave has brought temperatures above 40°C (104°F) on several days this month and is expected to continue until Monday.

In Galicia, some highways were closed due to the fires, and the high-speed rail link to Madrid remained suspended. This year, wildfires in Spain have burned about 158,000 hectares (610 square miles), an area roughly the size of metropolitan London, according to the European Union’s European Forest Fire Information System.

Friday was also the Feast of the Assumption, a major Catholic holiday in Spain and Portugal, typically celebrated with family gatherings and religious processions.

In Portugal, nearly 4,000 firefighters were tackling seven large fires. Authorities extended the state of alert until Sunday as high temperatures are expected to continue.

Meanwhile, in Greece, a wildfire on the island of Chios raged out of control for the fourth day, forcing several overnight evacuations. Two water-dropping planes and two helicopters were helping firefighters in the north of the island, and local officials said calmer winds were providing some relief on Friday morning.

After a series of large fires in western Greece earlier this week, the Fire Service remained on alert near Athens and surrounding southern regions, where weather conditions have increased the fire risk.

The spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians expressed support for the wildfire victims in southern Europe during prayers for the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, an important religious celebration for Orthodox Christians.