A firefighter in action during extinguishing works of a wildfire near Altura, eastern Spain, on Friday, Aug. 19, 2022. Up to early August, 43 large wildfires — those affecting at least 500 hectares (1,235 acres) — were recorded in the Mediterranean country by the Ministry for Ecological transition, while the average in previous years was 11. The European Forest Fire Information System estimates a burned surface of 284,764 hectares (704,000 acres) in Spain this year. That’s four times higher than the average since records began in 2006.
