Spain Faces Devastation After a Summer of Record Wildfires

Tue Oct 21 2025 02:31:05 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

An unprecedented wildfire season has wreaked havoc in rural Spain, impacting agriculture, tourism, and local livelihoods. Farmers report crippling losses as flames consume vast landscapes and economic stability hangs in the balance.

Spain's summer wildfires have burned over 20,000 hectares, affecting local farmers, destroying crops, and disrupting tourism. Farmers like José Antonio Bruña have lost significant honey production, and livestock farmers like Fernando García have suffered severe losses, highlighting the economic toll of disasters in rural areas.

José Antonio Bruña, a honey producer, is standing on a hillside where he keeps his beehives near the small Spanish village of Porto de Sanabria. He points to the exact spot, a few hundred metres away on the mountain opposite, where lightning struck a few weeks earlier, igniting a wildfire that had disastrous consequences.

This August has been a nightmare for me personally, but also for the local farmers and everyone here in the village, he says. I'm 47 and I've never seen a fire that fierce.

The wildfire ended up burning more than 20,000 hectares (49,000 acres) of land and caused thousands of people to be evacuated from villages in this farming-heavy corner of north-western Spain, near the Portuguese border. It is indicative of a broader trend this year, with wildfires sweeping through various regions, marking a devastating summer in Spain.

As wildfires devastated large expanses, impacting 0.8% of Spain’s surface area, the most heavily affected zones included the regions of Castilla y León, Galicia, and Extremadura.

Honey production, vital in rural northwest Spain, suffered significantly, with Bruña estimating a 50% decrease in honey yield due to destroyed flora. His 1,500 hives were spared this time, but the economic ripple effects will be felt over the years as plant life takes time to recover.

For livestock farmers like Fernando García, the repercussions are equally dire. Facing constant threats of blazes, he lost 30 cattle this summer, including 11 that were put down due to severe burns, a stark reminder of the toll wildfires take on rural livelihoods.

The overall economic damage to agriculture, estimated at over €600 million while tourism faces its own challenges, with local businesses reporting significant losses as tourists evacuated or chose not to visit affected areas. Tourists' impressions of Spain’s north-west, once thriving for its scenic beauty and summer recreation, could be tainted for years to come if recovery efforts don't show quick results.

As these wildfires develop, the disparity between urban and rural Spain grows starker, spotlighting the urgent need for government interventions and support to revitalize affected communities. The grim outlook remains clear on the landscape of rural Spain surrounded by flames: recovering from these fires will take time, and the economic future of agriculture and tourism hangs in the balance.