RESTRICTION: USERS MUST CREDIT “SPAIN’S MILITARY EMERGENCY UNIT (UME)” HANDOUT, MUST NOT OBSCURE LOGO —EDITORIAL USE ONLY—

SHOTLIST:

OURENSE, SPAIN (AUGUST 19, 2025) ((SPAIN’S MILITARY EMERGENCY UNIT (UME) - RESTRICTED) (NIGHT SHOTS)

1. VARIOUS OF FIREFIGHTERS WORKING TO EXTINGUISH WILDFIRE IN OURENSE, SPAIN
OURENSE, SPAIN - AUGUST 19 - RESTRICTION: USERS MUST CREDIT “SPAIN’S MILITARY EMERGENCY UNIT (UME)” HANDOUT, MUST NOT OBSCURE LOGO —EDITORIAL USE ONLY— Firefighting efforts continued Tuesday, Aug. 19, in Spain’s Galicia region, where crews from the country’s Military Emergency Unit (UME) worked to contain a large wildfire near the town of Gondulfes in Ourense province.

The blaze spread across a wide area, prompting emergency teams to deploy additional resources in an effort to bring it under control.

Spain is battling more than 40 active wildfires, with two-thirds concentrated in the Castilla and Leon region, according to the daily El Pais.

A high-speed line between Madrid and Galicia has been suspended for five consecutive days, while 16 roads are closed.

In an interview with broadcaster Cadena SER, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said that their Military Emergency Unit has never seen a fire situation like this in "its 20 years of existence."

Fires in Spain have burned around 346,000 hectares (854,000 acres) in eight months, the worst figure since 1994, broadcaster RTVE reported, citing the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).

Spain’s meteorological agency Aemet has issued a red alert for certain regions, with temperatures expected to reach 44C (111F).

The country's Daily Mortality Monitoring System (MoMo) recorded over 4,000 temperature related deaths in 2025 with 931 just in August.