Spain's worst wave of wildfires on record spread to the southern slopes of the Picos de Europa mountains on Monday and prompted authorities to close part of the popular Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route.

By Nacho Doce and Guillermo Martinez GONDULFES, Spain (Reuters) -Wildfires raging in northern and western Spain have burned through nearly the same area in the past 24 hours as in all of last year, although the end of a 16-day heatwave and expected rainfall have fanned hopes that an end may be in sight.

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

Spain deploys 500 additional soldiers to fight devastating wildfires as extreme heat fuels blazes across Europe.

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”.

France sent two teams of 100 firefighters, who were “currently arriving,” Virginia Barcones Sanz, the director general of civil protection and emergencies in Spain, told reporters on Monday. Germany is deploying a team of 66 firefighters with 21 vehicles, while Finland is sending 30 firefighters, she said.

Colleen Crowley and her family wanted more than their “sheltered” life in Montecito could offer. They packed everything into 10 suitcases, moved to Spain and have never looked back.

Spanish national team head coach Luis de la Fuente has given an update on players concerning Real Madrid in an interview with Onda Cero. With the new season only just beginning, De la Fuente is not

The tradition of the siesta is no accident. Spain has been living with extreme heat for centuries, and its people have ways of coping.

The key to preventing forest fires is creating a rural economy based on the use of forests. While this would generate much-needed employment in “la España vaciada” – “hollowed-out Spain”, the name given to the country’s depopulated rural areas – it also costs money. It is therefore essential to invest in forests.