The key to preventing forest fires is creating a rural economy based on the use of forests. While this would generate much-needed employment in “la España vaciada” – “hollowed-out Spain”, the name given to the country’s depopulated rural areas – it also costs money. It is therefore essential to invest in forests.

Spain's weather agency warned the public on Monday to be "cautious" of the "very high or extreme fire danger."

High winds on Wednesday hampered efforts to contain wildfires in Spain that have already scorched a record stretch of land despite lower temperatures, authorities said."Temperatures have dropped, but strong gusts of wind continue to hinder firefighting efforts,

Spain recently made EU history when it made its first request ever for wildfire response reinforcements from the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism. In response to Spain’s activation, the European Commission has mobilized two rescEU planes stationed in France, with the expectation of deploying to Spain on Aug. 14.

Europe has been warming twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires.

Firefighters are battling 21 blazes in western Spain, while a man in Portugal was killed while fighting wildfires.

Spain deploys 500 additional soldiers to fight devastating wildfires as extreme heat fuels blazes across Europe.

Cooler conditions are helping Spanish and Portuguese firefighters tackle deadly blazes that have forced tens of thousands of people to flee over the past two weeks.

VILLANUEVA DE LA SIERRA, Spain, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Spain battled 14 major fires driven by high winds and aggravated by heat on Friday as authorities warned of "unfavourable conditions" to tackle flames that have already killed seven people and burned an area the size of London.

Demonstrations continued in Castile and León against the handling of widespread wildfires, with residents demanding stronger action and greater involvement from Spain’s central government.