Speaking to Spanish television station RTVE, as cited by AFP, Virginia Barcones explained that "there is not much left and the end is near."

"We need to make a final effort to end this terrible situation," added the Director General of Spain's Civil Protection, admitting that "the worst is over."

Currently, Barcones also said, 18 wildfires are active, "17 of which are in 'operational status 2,'" a level that signifies danger to people and homes. The most worrying is the fire in Igueña, in the Castile and León region.

The fires raging in Spain in recent weeks have already burned nearly 400,000 hectares, an annual record for the country, according to still provisional data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), which has comparable records dating back to 2006.

Spain is the EU country with the largest burned area this year so far, and at least four deaths have been recorded.

Hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes, and many residents have already returned in the last 24 hours.

After a 16-day heat wave that saw temperatures reach 45°C in some regions of Spain, forecasts point to falling temperatures and decreasing wind intensity, resulting in "more favourable conditions" for putting out the fires, explained Virginia Barcones.