Ave Pedro, Spain is burning: the darkest summer and a government under fire.

Spain is facing a double heat wave. On the one hand, a summer of unprecedented wildfires that has already scorched nearly 350,000 hectares, with tens of thousands of people evacuated and road and rail cuts. On the other, the new indictment of Begoña Gómez for alleged embezzlement, which adds political pressure to the government in the midst of an emergency, and the history of corruption allegations within government circles.

On the environmental front, Copernicus/EFFIS data and public media reports place 2025 as the worst year in decades: around 344,000–350,000 hectares have already burned, with Castile and León, Galicia, and Extremadura among the hardest-hit regions. The pace of devastation skyrocketed starting on August 5, making this month the most critical of the century for Spain.

The impact is not only measured on land: the first half of August recorded the highest carbon emissions from fires in 23 years, with smoke plumes deteriorating air quality for hundreds of kilometers and resulting in thousands of evacuations. The magnitude and speed of the fires are consistent with scenarios of longer and more intense heat waves that increase extreme risk in large areas of the country.

In addition to the meteorological conditions, there are structural factors: fuel accumulation due to rural abandonment, expansion of the urban-wildland interface, and uneven prevention across communities. The EMU (Mechanical Emergency Management Unit) and regional services have multiplied deployments, and the Executive is preparing disaster zone declarations and proposing a state pact against the climate emergency, but the simultaneous occurrence of large fires is straining resources and coordination.

The crisis has also fueled information. It has been disseminated that “the 2030 Agenda prohibits clearing forests,” when the Forestry Law requires owners and managers to maintain and clear forests, and also prohibits changing forest use for 30 years after a fire. Blaming nonexistent prohibitions distracts from the real tasks: planning, preventive forestry, agroforestry mosaics, and adaptation to extreme climates. But it is also easy to order maintenance measures for communities that have been deprived of their livelihoods to achieve an agenda imposed by farmers who have risen to public office.

In parallel, it was announced today that Judge Juan Carlos Peinado is charging Begoña Gómez and her advisor in Moncloa, Cristina Álvarez, with embezzlement and summoning them to testify on September 10 and 11. This is an expansion of the case, bringing the number of crimes attributed to him to five. It comes after the judge himself initially ruled out embezzlement in May, a procedural twist that will likely intensify the political and media battle.

The reaction of the government and the opposition anticipates very heated weeks: members of the executive branch have denounced “lawfare” against their entourage, while their adversaries demand immediate explanations and political accountability. The institutional clash—at the height of the fire peak—intensifies the perception of governmental fragility and could complicate budgetary agreements, as well as the climate and civil protection agenda that the government itself intends to accelerate after this dark summer.

Spain faces a systemic fire problem that combines extreme weather, territorial vulnerabilities, and insufficient prevention. Government deforestation to install photovoltaic cells plays a significant role. Managing this emergency requires strengthening structural prevention; allowing farmers to continue doing so could be a good solution, since these problems have been occurring since the changes in the laws. While it is true that the problem existed before, and fires began to increase after the implementation of the agenda, the state should be prevented from addressing the problem at all costs, as they have demonstrated that they are incapable of handling money at best. But the new indictment against Begoña Gómez introduces a vector of political instability that threatens to divert focus and political capital from what is urgent: protecting lives, ecosystems, and the economy in a country that has burned like it hasn’t in decades.

The summer of 2025 has marked a turning point in Spain’s environmental and political history. As forest fires ravage the country with unprecedented virulence, the government faces a political earthquake: the new indictment of Begoña Gómez, wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, for alleged embezzlement. The simultaneous occurrence of both phenomena projects a panorama of comprehensive crisis, in which literal fire and political fire feed off each other.

The Fire Crisis: A Dark Summer

Data from Copernicus/EFFIS and national and international media confirm that 2025 is already the worst year in decades for land area devastated by fires. By mid-August, the flames had consumed between 344,000 and 350,000 hectares, a figure that far exceeds records from the last twenty years.

Most affected regions: Castile and León, Galicia, Extremadura, and part of Andalusia.

Immediate consequences: More than 30,000 evacuated, highway closures, interrupted railways, and millions in damage to homes and crops.

Environmental impact: The first half of August recorded the highest carbon emissions from fires in 23 years, deteriorating air quality even outside the affected areas.

Structural Factors of the Problem

Climate change: prolonged heat waves and record temperatures that lengthen the season of extreme risk caused by the destruction of reservoirs and indiscriminate deforestation for the installation of solar panels, along with countless government policies that do nothing to solve the problem.

Rural abandonment: thousands of hectares of unmanaged and uncleared forests accumulate natural fuel, as government policies and taxes make agricultural businesses unprofitable.

Urban-forestry interface: urban expansion without self-protection plans or reforestation multiplies human and material losses.

Insufficient prevention: notable differences between autonomous communities in planning and resources.

Although the 2030 Agenda is harmful, the idea that the 2030 Agenda prohibits forest clearing is false, as it is not the 2030 Agenda; it is a government misinterpretation of the Agenda. The Forestry Law requires landowners and managers to keep areas cleared, but it fails to take into account that it stifles farmers and leaves them without resources to do so, and it prohibits the rezoning of burned land for 30 years. These narratives have diverted attention from the real solutions: preventive forestry, the creation of firebreaks, and agroforestry planning.

Government Response

The Executive Branch, together with the Military Emergency Unit (UME) and regional services, has multiplied deployments, declared disaster zones, and announced a state pact against the emergency. However, the simultaneous occurrence of large fires has strained coordination and highlighted the lack of a comprehensive national plan, which is evidence of government negligence.

Timeline of Begoña Gómez’s Indictment

The political front has been shaken in parallel by a significant judicial shift:

April 2024: An investigation is opened against Begoña Gómez for alleged influence peddling and business corruption.

May 2025: Judge Juan Carlos Peinado initially rules out embezzlement.

August 2025: The judge summons Gómez and her advisor at Moncloa, Cristina Álvarez, to testify, also charging them with embezzlement. Their appearances are set for September 10 and 11.

Crimes currently charged: influence peddling, business corruption, document forgery, money laundering, and embezzlement.

The judicial decision has been interpreted as a procedural shift that increases the pressure on Moncloa. While the government denounces an attempt at “lawfare,” the opposition demands explanations and even files motions of censure.

Political Impact

The combination of a country literally on fire and a political crisis at the height of power creates a perception of unprecedented governmental fragility. The immediate challenges are twofold:

Climate: design a long-term prevention plan, with multi-year funding and inter-territorial coordination.

Political: ensure institutional stability and transparency in the judicial management of the Gómez case.

And this is just one of the many issues the government faces in its administration.

Data Visualization

Area burned per year in Spain (2000–2025)

2000–2010: average of 120,000 ha/year.

2011–2020: average of 90,000 ha/year.

2021: Rebound to 160,000 ha.

2022: Record of 307,000 ha.

2025 (August): 350,000 ha.

Spain is facing a dark summer that has highlighted the territory’s vulnerability to fire and the fragility of its political class. The dual crisis—Emergencies and the judiciary—underscores the urgency of rethinking prevention, coordination, and transparency policies. Fires, whether in forests or in the courts, demand swift and structural responses to prevent the country from also burning institutionally.