Spain is grappling with a destructive wave of wildfires that have already affected over 115,000 hectares of land, forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes, and claimed three lives, local media report, according to Anadolu Agency.

The region of Castilla y León has been hit the hardest, with more than 20 fires still active across the provinces of Zamora, León, Salamanca, and Ávila, according to RTVE. In Galicia, 14 fires continue to burn, with over 46,000 hectares destroyed in the province of Ourense alone.

Authorities have issued warnings to the public, with 68 people still under movement restrictions.

Other fires are raging in Asturias and Extremadura. In the latter, regional officials expressed particular concern about the Jarilla fire, which has already destroyed 4,800 hectares and remains “completely uncontrollable,” approaching the town of Plasencia. Seven additional fires in the region remain active.

Meanwhile, in the Valencian Community, firefighters managed to stabilize the outbreaks in Teresa de Cofrentes and Játiva. The Ministry of the Interior reported that 19 fires across the country currently have a severity level of 2.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will visit the affected areas in Ourense and León, where he will meet with emergency response and coordination teams. The opposition People’s Party has called on the central government to deploy the army in support of firefighters.

The fires have also disrupted transportation, with the high-speed rail link between Madrid and Galicia temporarily suspended. In Cáceres, the municipality of Segura de Toro is under movement restrictions after the fire approached dangerously close.

Regional authorities in Extremadura announced they will request military assistance due to the “extreme seriousness” of the situation. |BGNES