VILLARDEVÓS, Spain: Spain has sent an additional 500 military personnel to fight 20 significant wildfires burning across the country, as scorching heat and strong winds complicate containment efforts during one of southern Europe's worst fire seasons in decades.

In Galicia, several fires merged into a massive blaze, forcing the suspension of highway and rail connections to the northwestern region. The country has lost more than 115,000 hectares to wildfires in the past week alone, with three deaths reported.

Temperatures soared to 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in parts of Spain, according to the national weather service AEMET.

"There are still some challenging days ahead and, unfortunately, the weather is not on our side," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in Ourense, one of the hardest-hit areas. He confirmed that military reinforcements had been boosted to 1,900 troops nationwide.

Virginia Barcones, Spain's director general of emergency services, told state television that while cooler weather is expected from August 19, current conditions remain "very adverse."

In Villarrubio, a village in Galicia, power outages disabled water pumps, leaving residents to battle flames with buckets. "The fireplanes come in from all sides, but they don't come here," resident Basilio Rodriguez said. Another villager, Lorea Pascual, described the situation as "insurmountable."

Authorities are also investigating human causes. Since June, 27 people have been arrested, and 92 have been placed under investigation for suspected arson, according to the interior ministry data.

Fires spread across Portugal

Neighbouring Portugal is also enduring one of its worst fire seasons. Wildfires have already consumed around 155,000 hectares this year, three times the average for the same period between 2006 and 2024, with nearly half of that area destroyed in just the past three days, according to ICNF, the forestry protection institute.

Thousands of Portuguese firefighters are battling eight large blazes in the central and northern regions. The biggest is burning near the mountain town of Piodao, a popular tourist destination. In Trancoso, another fire has raged for more than a week. A smaller blaze nearby claimed a resident's life late last week, the first wildfire fatality in Portugal this season.