MADRID, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday called the wildfires a "dramatic situation" as they ravage thousands of hectares of land across Spain and neighboring countries.
"We are living through a dramatic situation, not only in various Spanish provinces but also in regions of neighboring countries," Sanchez said in a post on X. He also said the government had "deployed all available resources" to contain the fires and expressed solidarity with those affected.
The Spanish government on Friday declared a national emergency after wildfires forced the evacuation of around 10,000 people in the Madrid region. The regional government said the fires remained out of control amid the heatwave.
Since the start of the year, nearly 130,000 hectares have burned across Spain, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).
Experts said climate change is driving increasingly severe wildfire seasons in Spain and across much of southern Europe. Unusually heavy spring rainfall boosted vegetation growth, which dried out in extreme summer heat and fueled the rapid spread of fires. ■