Fires in Galicia have ravaged small, sparsely populated towns, forcing locals in many cases to step in before firefighters arrive. Firefighting units from Germany arrived in northern Spain on Tuesday to help fight the blazes, Spain's Interior Ministry ...

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

Wildfires are tearing across Spain, killing several people and scorching nearly 1,500 square miles. This year's fire season is already among the country's worst on record.

The death toll is now at two in Portugal and four in Spain as the fires burn for a second week, according to AFP. The fires are largely located in the northwest regions of Galicia, Castile and León, and Extremadura. More than 31,000 residents have been evacuated from their homes in Spain due to the fires, according to The Guardian .