Spain battles 20 major wildfires amid scorching heat, deploys more troops

A dog walks past a cemetery as smoke rises from a wildfire in As Fermosas, in the Ourense province, Galicia, Spain, August 16, 2025. REUTERS/Nacho Doce

VILLARDEVÓS (Reuters) -Scorching heat hampered efforts to contain 20 major wildfires across Spain on Sunday, prompting the government to deploy an additional 500 troops from the military emergency unit to support firefighting operations.

In the northwestern region of Galicia, several fires have converged to form a large blaze, forcing the closure of highways and rail services to the region.