Crisis in Spain as 121 areas declared 'disaster zones'

Firefighters battle to contain a wildfire in Spain (Image: Getty)

Spain has declared a "state of emergency" in a number of areas across 16 of its 17 regions which were devastated by wildfires and floods this summer. The country recorded 121 emergencies between June 23 and August 25 as Spain was affected by extreme heat and subsequent storms.

The "state of emergency" will enable the government to channel much needed funds quickly to the regions and allow them to mitigate the damage caused by the natural catastrophes. The fires and floods caused serious destruction to both public and private properties, as well as businesses. The government is also considering other measures to help local communities and regions get back on their feet.

Fernando Grande-Marlaska is Spain's Minister of the Interior (Image: Getty)

These include offering certain tax benefits, providing aid to local businesses and subsidies to farmers, whose land and equipment has been destroyed.

Spain's Minister of the Interior acknowledged the damage caused by the unprecedented natural disasters.

Fernando Grande-Marlaska said: "Although the emergency episode is not over, it is clear that we are facing one of the biggest environmental catastrophes in recent years. The personal damage to infrastructure and public and private property is undoubtedly high".

He stressed the importance of activating the aid mechanism for the victims "as soon as possible so that they can recover a certain degree of normality".

The minister added in a sombre warning that the fire emergency "has not yet been considered closed".

"These institutions will have their government by their side at all times and will have all the aid necessary to achieve the greatest possible recovery of the areas affected by the disaster," he said.

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Spain was devastated this summer by some of the worst wildfires in its history, as temperatures soared to record highs during a brutal heatwave.

Mr Marlaska pointed out that the devastating fires coincided with the "most intense heatwave since records have been kept, with an average temperature some 4.6C higher than usual for this time of year and the longest in this period."

Four of the worst affected provinces in August have been Castilla y León, Galicia, Asturias and Extremadura. Images from the European Commission's Copernicus satellite show more than 300,000 hectares of land have burned in the these areas.

Spain has been hit by three waves of wildfires this summer, with one death reported and several people injured.