Just over a dozen serious wildfires were still burning in Spain, the authorities said on Monday, as foreign assistance winds down and cooler temperatures are forecast.
The civil protection service said there were 14 active wildfires classified as operation level two, meaning they pose a danger to people and property, down from 18 on Saturday and 21 last week.
Four people have died during the wildfires that have hit Spain this month, destroying large areas of land.
The head of the agency, Virginia Barcones, told a news conference that efforts were “progressing slowly”, particularly due to reignition, but she added: “The evolution is favourable in most of the fires”.
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Winds have been “more intense” and temperatures higher Monday but forecasts for improved weather Tuesday could help firefighters contain the blazes, Barcones said.
Spanish firefighters, helped by teams from other EU countries, have been battling blazes for weeks that have scorched more than 350,000 hectares (865,000 acres) over the past two weeks, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.
The hardest-hit regions were in the north and west: Castilla y León, Extremadura, and Galicia.
The fires flared during a two-week heatwave that sent temperatures above 40C.
Foreign firefighting teams from Finland and France will begin returning home Tuesday, German crews will return on Wednesday while Romanian teams are scheduled to leave Thursday, Barcones said.
Three people died in Castilla y León, and another died near Madrid.
Scientists say climate change is driving longer, more intense, and more frequent heatwaves worldwide, fuelling wildfires.
