Spain is burning at an unprecedented rate. Before the true peak of summer arrives, the country has already recorded 100,000 hectares burned in 2026, a figure that barely a decade ago represented the entire annual total. Facing this emergency, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on Wednesday an injection of €300 million aimed at SMEs to adapt their production to the climate crisis and develop technologies to combat extreme phenomena.

The alarming figure: 22 major wildfires in six months

Sánchez made the announcement minutes before visiting the La Mierla area in Guadalajara, the epicentre of the most serious wildfire recorded in Spain in the last twenty-five years in terms of affected protected surface area. This fire burned more than 30,000 hectares of the Sierra Norte Natural Park, forcing the evacuation of five villages, although the measure has since been lifted.

The context is bleak: according to eldiario.es, 22 major wildfires have been declared so far this year, four times more than in 2025. This escalation shows a trend that concerns authorities: fires are no longer isolated incidents but recurring patterns amplified by extreme temperatures.

What will this money actually be spent on?

The €300 million announced does not go directly to firefighting, but rather takes a more preventive and structural approach. The Government will allocate the funds to small and medium-sized enterprises for three key objectives:

• Finance cleaner and more energy-efficient production processes.
• Adapt Spain's productive sector to the new climate reality.
• Develop specific technologies to combat extreme phenomena.

This is therefore an investment in economic transformation rather than an immediate response to crises. Sánchez has stressed that the solution requires structural changes, not just ad-hoc resources after each disaster.

The State pact that has yet to materialise

The Prime Minister has renewed calls for a State pact against the climate emergency, a proposal he made a year ago when much of Spain was burning. The idea is to turn the necessary measures into laws and sustained economic resources throughout the year to safeguard the life, security and prosperity of territories.

"We cannot remember wildfires and emergencies only when they happen; we must act beforehand," Sánchez said during his visit accompanied by Emiliano García-Page, president of Castilla-La Mancha, and Ricardo Jiménez, mayor of La Mierla. The mayor acknowledged the prevention efforts made during winter—firebreaks in the rural settlements—but admitted they are insufficient given the magnitude of the crisis.

Numbers that keep rising

Beyond the La Mierla fire, the national picture is concerning. Satellite imagery shows the destruction of at least 120,000 hectares so far in 2026, a figure that continues to grow as the hottest months advance. These figures contrast sharply with the previous decade, when 100,000 hectares annually was considered a tolerable maximum.

Collaboration between administrations—central Government, the Castilla-La Mancha regional government and local councils—has been highlighted by all parties as fundamental to containing the spread of the La Mierla fire. However, the pending debate is whether these coordination measures will be sufficient if not accompanied by legislative changes and permanent funding.

The question hanging in the air is whether €300 million and a new political pact will manage to reverse a trend that so far points in only one direction: the uncontrolled increase in wildfires every summer.