Every summer, forest fires sweep across Spain, dominating headlines and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. This year's have been especially harsh, with devastating fires thus far in Tarifa,

Joaquín Ramírez of Technosylva, a Spanish company that specialises in prevention and response to wildfires, attributed this year’s litany of fires to “a combination of abandonment of rural areas, abandonment of managing [the land] and the stress exerted on our forest areas”.

Spain's weather agency warned the public on Monday to be "cautious" of the "very high or extreme fire danger."

This year is turning into one of the worst fire seasons in recent memory in Europe. Firefighters are struggling to contain out-of-control wildfires in western Spain and Portugal.

VILLANUEVA DE LA SIERRA, Spain, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Spain battled 14 major fires driven by high winds and aggravated by heat on Friday as authorities warned of "unfavourable conditions" to tackle flames that have already killed seven people and burned an area the size of London.

The Foreign Office has revised its travel guidance to Spain as thousands of residents across the nation have been forced to flee their homes. Blazes are currently sweeping through the north eastern region of the country, with over 375,000 hectares already consumed by flames.

Heavy clouds of smoke billowing from wildfires filled the sky over mountains and hills in northern and western Spain on Tuesday (August 19), as the end of a two-week heatwave and expected rainfall have fanned hopes that an end may be in sight.