Pedro Sanchez has criticised ‘climate denialism’ while announcing that areas devastated by the ongoing wildfires will be declared as official disaster zones.

Speaking after Tuesday’s final Cabinet meeting before the summer break, the Spanish prime minister said the government had approved emergency measures for communities affected by the fires in Madrid, Castilla y Leon, Castilla-La Mancha and the Valencian Community.

The declaration will allow affected areas to receive state financial assistance following assessments of the damage.

The Cabinet also approved an expanded package of support for workers unable to attend their jobs because of the wildfires.

‘The deployment of aid for personal and material damage is now beginning,’ Sanchez said.

‘This will also include additional support such as tax relief, exemptions from Social Security contributions and funding to repair damaged infrastructure, among many other measures that will be introduced as we gain a clearer picture of the scale of this catastrophe.’

Sanchez said eight major wildfires remain active across Spain and expressed the government’s solidarity with those affected.

He also paid tribute to those who have lost their lives and thanked firefighters and emergency personnel battling the blazes in what he described as ‘extraordinarily difficult conditions’.

‘Thanks to their work, we are turning the tide and beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel,’ he said, while warning that a new heatwave is approaching.

He pledged that the government would keep all available resources mobilised until the last flame is extinguished.

The PM also urged the public to act with ‘the utmost responsibility and caution’ to help prevent further fires.

‘Everyone should stand united against fire,’ he said. ‘The climate emergency is getting worse year after year, and people expect us to be united not only in our response, but also in prevention and recovery.’

Sanchez renewed his call for a cross-party State Pact on the Climate Emergency, arguing that political divisions should not stand in the way of tackling increasingly severe wildfires.

He also criticised what he described as ‘climate denialism’, calling it ‘the worst fuel for the climate emergency’.

Asked whether he would seek talks with opposition parties to secure such an agreement, Sanchez said he remained open to meeting anyone but admitted recent political developments had made him cautious.

‘I have no problem meeting with anyone, but there are some issues that invite me to be a little cautious,’ he said, referring to coalition agreements between the Partido Popular (PP) and Vox in several regions.

‘There is no national agreement more necessary than this one,’ Sanchez added. ‘Climate change and wildfires have no ideology. They affect everyone equally.’