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Spain Battles 20 Major Wildfires amid Scorching Heat, Deploys More Troops

Locals collaborate to extinguish a forest fire in Carballeda de Avia, Ourense, Galicia province, north-western Spain, 16 August 2025. (EPA)
Locals collaborate to extinguish a forest fire in Carballeda de Avia, Ourense, Galicia province, north-western Spain, 16 August 2025. (EPA)
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Spain Battles 20 Major Wildfires amid Scorching Heat, Deploys More Troops

Locals collaborate to extinguish a forest fire in Carballeda de Avia, Ourense, Galicia province, north-western Spain, 16 August 2025. (EPA)
Locals collaborate to extinguish a forest fire in Carballeda de Avia, Ourense, Galicia province, north-western Spain, 16 August 2025. (EPA)

Scorching heat hampered efforts to contain 20 major wildfires across Spain on Sunday, prompting the government to deploy an additional 500 troops from the military emergency unit to support firefighting operations.

In the northwestern region of Galicia, several fires have converged to form a large blaze, forcing the closure of highways and rail services to the region.

Southern Europe is experiencing one of its worst wildfire seasons in two decades, with Spain among the hardest-hit countries.

In the past week alone, fires there have claimed three lives and burned more than 115,000 hectares, while neighboring Portugal also battles widespread blazes.

Temperatures are expected to reach up to 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in some areas on Sunday, Spanish national weather agency AEMET said.

"There are still some challenging days ahead and, unfortunately, the weather is not on our side," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told a news conference in Ourense, one of the most affected areas.

He announced an increase in military reinforcements, bringing the total number of troops deployed across Spain to 1,900.

Virginia Barcones, director general of emergency services, told Spanish public TV temperatures were expected to drop from Tuesday, but for now the weather conditions were "very adverse".

"Today there are extremely high temperatures with an extreme risk of fires, which complicates the firefighting efforts," Barcones said.

VILLAGERS RESORT TO BUCKETS

In the village of Villardevos in Galicia, desperate neighbors have organized to fight the flames on their own with water buckets as the area was left without electricity to power water pumps.

"The fireplanes come in from all sides, but they don't come here," Basilio Rodriguez, a resident, told Reuters on Saturday.

Added Lorea Pascual, another local resident: "It's insurmountable, it couldn't be worse".

Interior ministry data show 27 people have been arrested and 92 were under investigation for suspected arson since June.

In neighboring Portugal, wildfires have burnt some 155,000 hectares of vegetation so far this year, according to provisional data from the ICNF forestry protection institute - three times the average for this period between 2006 to 2024. About half of that area burned just in the past three days.

Thousands of firefighters were battling eight large blazes in central and northern Portugal, the largest of them near Piodao, a scenic, mountainous area popular with tourists.

Another blaze in Trancoso, further north, has now been raging for eight days. A smaller fire a few miles east claimed a local resident's life on Friday - the first this season.

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Varieties

Europe's Summer Drought Threatens Fish in Rivers, Lakes and Farms

A boat sits on dry ground as water levels have dropped on the Danube in Petrovaradin, Serbia, Tuesday, August 25, 2026. (AP Photo/ Darko Vojinovic)
A boat sits on dry ground as water levels have dropped on the Danube in Petrovaradin, Serbia, Tuesday, August 25, 2026. (AP Photo/ Darko Vojinovic)
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Europe's Summer Drought Threatens Fish in Rivers, Lakes and Farms

A boat sits on dry ground as water levels have dropped on the Danube in Petrovaradin, Serbia, Tuesday, August 25, 2026. (AP Photo/ Darko Vojinovic)
A boat sits on dry ground as water levels have dropped on the Danube in Petrovaradin, Serbia, Tuesday, August 25, 2026. (AP Photo/ Darko Vojinovic)

Small boats stand idle on cracked ground in a shriveled side channel of the Danube River in northern Serbia, where the water has receded into a couple of shrinking ponds under pressure from extreme drought and heat. Fish circle in the shallow waters.

“This is all we have, these two little ponds that are full of juvenile fish,” fisherman Dusan Jovanovic said. He said the fish are in danger because there is too little water and its temperature is over 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).

“If they start to die, they will all die at once,” Jovanovic said.

Persistent drought and scorching heat this summer have ravaged ecosystems and businesses across the region, from a lake in Slovenia and the side channel of the Danube in Serbia, to fish farms in Bosnia, the Czech Republic, Romania and Hungary.

The fish industry has been hit especially hard, with damage estimated in the millions of euros (dollars). This is adding to the already high toll caused by problems with energy and water supplies, devastated crops, losses in river traffic and trade, The Associated Press said.

Finding themselves unprepared for this year's crisis, countries and businesses are now pondering ways to minimize the effects of future extreme weather events that scientists have tied to human-induced climate change.

Hungary's fish die as entire country faces extreme drought

Around 99% of Hungary’s lands are currently under severe or extreme drought conditions, according to the national meteorological service. Desertification, a process where vegetation recedes because of high heat and low rainfall, threatens much of the Great Hungarian Plain.

Among the most affected are Hungary’s roughly 27,000 hectares (67,000 acres) of fish ponds. The country’s Agriculture and Food Economy Ministry said last week that “persistent heat and water shortages” had led to 1,588 hectares (3,924 acres) of those ponds drying out, causing the deaths of nearly 280 metric tons of fish at 20 farms.

The estimated revenue loss from the damage was 1.3 billion forints ($4.2 million), the ministry said. Producers say replacing lost fish could take years. Sometimes, operators were forced to drain one pond and divert its water to save fish in another, the Hungarian Aquaculture and Fisheries Inter-branch Organization said in early August.

Repeated drought over years hurts Romanian fish farmers

For fish farmers in Romania, especially those cultivating carp, this year’s blistering heatwave follows severe droughts in 2023 and 2024, the effects of which are still being felt, says Catalin Platon, president of ROMFISH National Association of Fish Producers.

In carp production, Platon said, the production cycle is three or four years.

“So what we lost in 2023 has (had an) impact every year since," he explained. Water-use policies that prioritized irrigation for agriculture during the previous droughts, “left us with no water for the fish,” Platon complained.

Czech fish farmers take emergency measures

Fish farmers across the Czech Republic have taken various emergency measures: reducing or suspending feeding to reduce oxygen use, aerating the ponds or draining them when necessary.

The Czech Fishing Association officials say sustained rainfall could ease the immediate crisis, but long-term measures are needed to retain more water in the landscape.

Jan Sokolik, a technician at the Rybarstvi Trebon fishery, explained that “some ponds that were actually low on water have already been fished, but they were all marginal ponds.”

“Now we’re just starting to plan what to do with the big ponds,” he said.

Bosnian trout breeders ‘looking to survive summer’

Veljko Budjen owns a trout farm near Trebinje in southeast Bosnia. He said hot and dry summers have brought serious problems in the mainly mountainous country famous for its trout restaurants.

“Trout is a cold water fish, which requires cold water with a lot of oxygen,” he said. “So during the summer you are forced to reduce trout production and feeding so the business can just barely survive.”

One option, he said, is to add liquid oxygen to the water during summer months. Otherwise, he said, “you wait for the first rain.”

Slovenians pump water into a lake in an attempt to save fish Emergency teams have been pumping water into Lake Pristava in eastern Slovenia, a favorite spot for fishermen, to try to prevent a mass suffocation of fish from lack of oxygen and water chestnut overgrowing to cover the lake surface.

Firefighters have pumped in 8 million liters (2 million gallons) of water but they still fear it's not enough.

"We are surprised that any fish has survived at all,” Danijel Fras, from the Pesnica Lenart Fishing Association, told public broadcaster RTV Slovenia.

In Serbia, fishermen said the only solution for the endangered fish in the Danube side channel in Novi Sad is to move them to another location.

“The temperatures this year are extreme,” Jovanovic, the Serbian fisherman, said. "No one can remember anything like this.”

Varieties

Climate Change Hits Trout and Salmon in UK’s Prized Chalk Streams

This photo taken on August 25, 2026 shows Bob Wellard, director of the Piscatorials Society, fly-fishing in the Candover Brook, a chalk stream tributary of the River Itchen, near Winchester, Hampshire, southern England. (AFP)
This photo taken on August 25, 2026 shows Bob Wellard, director of the Piscatorials Society, fly-fishing in the Candover Brook, a chalk stream tributary of the River Itchen, near Winchester, Hampshire, southern England. (AFP)
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Climate Change Hits Trout and Salmon in UK’s Prized Chalk Streams

This photo taken on August 25, 2026 shows Bob Wellard, director of the Piscatorials Society, fly-fishing in the Candover Brook, a chalk stream tributary of the River Itchen, near Winchester, Hampshire, southern England. (AFP)
This photo taken on August 25, 2026 shows Bob Wellard, director of the Piscatorials Society, fly-fishing in the Candover Brook, a chalk stream tributary of the River Itchen, near Winchester, Hampshire, southern England. (AFP)

A fly fisherman cast his line into the crystal-clear waters of the Itchen, a chalk stream in Hampshire in southern England, home to salmon and trout hit by climate change.

A summer of record-breaking temperatures and drought is threatening the ecological balance of rare chalk streams -- rivers formed on chalk beds that are largely unique to England -- and the fish that depend on them.

Wading through a branch of the Itchen near Winchester, Robert Wellard, director of fisheries at the Piscatorial Society and a recreational angler, dipped a thermometer into the clear water, drawing a reading of 17C.

"We should be more around 12 or 13 degrees" in August, said Kathryn Boler, manager of the Freshwater Programme for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.

Chalk streams, which are fed naturally by underground springs filtered through porous chalk bedrock, are known for their clear, cool and mineral-rich waters where fish such as brown trout and salmon thrive.

Out of 200 rivers of this type recorded in the world, 85 percent are found in England, according to the Wildlife Trust, which looks after the UK's nature reserves.

These unique habitats have been at the forefront of climate change for years, with this summer's successive heatwaves and bone-dry conditions warming the water, depleting groundwater reserves and reducing river flows.

"This year it's been unique in the sense that we have had them (heatwaves) pretty much back-to-back. And so that puts a huge amount of stress on the natural environment," said Wellard.

During heatwaves, "we've seen water temperatures... creeping up well above their normal temperature range," said Wellard, noting that water temperatures this summer reached levels which start affecting wild fish.

Several angling clubs -- which primarily practice catch-and-release fishing -- have temporarily limited activity to reduce the stress on the fish.

- 'Trapped' -

In water temperatures above 19C, salmon and trout experience "extra stress on their bodies", said Boler, as it reduces the oxygen available in the water and increases the physiological needs of fish.

The Itchen chalked up a high of 21.7C in July, according to figures by the Environment Agency (EA), an arm's-length government body which deals with environmental protection in England.

Falling river flows in drought conditions also expose the fish to predators.

For Atlantic salmon, which come to chalk streams to spawn and are already classified as endangered, the situation is particularly concerning.

"With the lower flow, salmon are effectively more trapped, and more susceptible to predation from things like harbor seals and cormorants," explained Paul Vignaux, who heads a local association for landowners and anglers in the Itchen.

In 2022, only 180 salmon came to spawn in the Itchen. Preliminary figures for last year counted 250 individuals -- 32 percent of the threshold considered necessary for the species' conservation, Vignaux noted.

This summer was also difficult for young freshwater salmon, the Environment Agency said in its July salmon count of the Itchen and another nearby chalk stream the Test, with their "abundance and size ... far lower than usual".

According to an EA model, the average temperature of rivers where brown trout live in England is expected to exceed the tolerable limit "at most sites by 2070".

The critical threshold for salmon is expected to be exceeded in half of their habitats by 2080.

Scientists say that climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, drought and other extreme weather conditions.

Combined with river pollution, chalk streams are facing the perfect storm as declining water flows also cause pollutants to become more concentrated.

In July, wastewater treatment company Southern Water admitted discharging pollutants in 2023 into the Test.

Scientists, environmentalists and anglers are calling for agencies to restore rivers to a more natural state, reduce water extraction and plant trees to improve shade.

"It's really essential that as much water as possible stays in the rivers," said Boler.

Varieties

Riyadh Launches ‘Digital District’ to Bolster Status as Global Hub for Talent, Innovation

The initiative aims to strengthen Riyadh’s position as a global hub for technology talent and digital creativity. (SPA)
The initiative aims to strengthen Riyadh’s position as a global hub for technology talent and digital creativity. (SPA)
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Riyadh Launches ‘Digital District’ to Bolster Status as Global Hub for Talent, Innovation

The initiative aims to strengthen Riyadh’s position as a global hub for technology talent and digital creativity. (SPA)
The initiative aims to strengthen Riyadh’s position as a global hub for technology talent and digital creativity. (SPA)

The Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) announced Thursday the launch of the “Riyadh Digital District,” a strategic initiative designed to attract global technology talent, foster entrepreneurship and build a knowledge-based economy driven by digital leadership and technological innovation.

The initiative aims to strengthen Riyadh’s position as a global hub for technology talent and digital creativity and place it among the world’s top 10 technology districts, in line with Saudi Vision 2030.

Ibrahim bin Muhammad Al-Sultan, Minister of State, Cabinet member and CEO of the RCRC, said the initiative would help establish Riyadh as a global destination for technology companies, talent and digital entrepreneurship.

Al-Sultan expressed his gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for their support of the commission’s projects.

“This step reflects the leadership’s commitment to advancing the capital toward global leadership in promising future sectors,” he said, adding that it supports Vision 2030 goals of building a diversified and prosperous economy based on digital leadership and technological innovation.

The district will focus on attracting companies and specialized talent in six key fields: Artificial Intelligence and Big Data, Cybersecurity, Computing and Cloud Services, the Internet of Things (IoT), Blockchain Technologies, and Robotics and Unmanned Aerial Systems. These sectors account for the majority of global investments in technology innovation companies, highlighting their pivotal role in driving future growth and technological advancement.

Overseen by the RCRC, the Digital District is conceived as an integrated digital business ecosystem within Riyadh, bringing together technology companies, talent and investment.

It will provide a supportive technical and regulatory environment for global and regional technology companies and startups seeking to establish operations in Riyadh and expand across the Middle East and North Africa.

Companies will have access to dedicated spaces near technology firms and communities, as well as opportunities to collaborate with government agencies and the private sector.

The initiative also seeks to develop digital skills, attract investment and create sustainable jobs by helping companies build technology teams and expand their Riyadh operations.

Regular meetings and open events will bring together founders, engineers, researchers and investors to foster an active technology community.