Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Sunday called for a nationwide pact to confront the "climate emergency" as firefighters continued battling massive wildfires that have forced about 75,000 people from their homes across the country.
Visiting the fire-ravaged Avila area west of Madrid, Sanchez said the disaster underscored the need for coordinated action between Spain's central government and regional administrations to address the growing threat posed by climate-driven extreme weather.
"The disaster must lead to a major public pact on the climate emergency," Sanchez said, renewing a proposal he had championed before the current wildfire crisis erupted.
The prime minister also warned that "difficult hours lie ahead" despite encouraging progress overnight in slowing the advance of the flames.
"Admittedly, difficult hours lie ahead, but the update we received here indicates that the night was very positive regarding the fire's progression, its containment, and the firefighting efforts," he told reporters.
Firefighters battle multiple fronts
Around 60,000 people have been displaced by wildfires around Madrid, while another 15,000 residents have been evacuated from a separate blaze in the Castellón area of the eastern Valencia region.
Firefighting aircraft from Italy and Portugal have joined Spanish crews as authorities race to contain the blazes, with changing weather conditions and strong winds continuing to complicate operations and threatening to push the fires farther south.
France also grapples with wildfire crisis
The wildfire emergency extends beyond Spain, with neighbouring France facing one of its worst fire seasons on record.
Nearly 250,000 people have been evacuated from southwestern France, where authorities warned on Sunday that conditions remain highly unfavourable and several major blazes continue to burn.
The twin crises have underscored the growing wildfire threat across southern Europe as prolonged heat, drought and strong winds fuel fast-moving fires across the region.
