As Spain grapples with a devastating wildfire season, a wave of false claims about the causes of the blazes and the government's response has been spreading online. From fabricated newspaper front pages to misleading posts about solar farms, the misinformation has become a secondary crisis for authorities already stretched by the emergency.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has publicly urged citizens to rely on credible information and warned about the dangers of disinformation. Speaking in Almería on 13 July after visiting the site of a fire in Los Gallardos in the southeast, he called the media's role "crucial" in countering false narratives, adding that misinformation can make an emergency even more difficult to manage.
Two weeks later, on 27 July, Sánchez again thanked news outlets for their efforts to combat disinformation about the fires. "We're seeing lots of fake news, a lot of disinformation about whether the fires were started to build solar power plants, lithium mines, rare earth mines," he said, while noting that authorities are investigating the true causes. He also linked the worsening fires to the climate crisis, which is intensifying heatwaves across the region.
Spain is no stranger to such theories. Last year, claims circulated that wildfires were deliberately set to allow developers to rebuild on the land, though these were ultimately debunked. This year, similar narratives have resurfaced, alongside new falsehoods about the government's response.
Fabricated front page
One image shared on X and Facebook purports to show the front page of the Spanish newspaper El País, claiming that the government cut wildfire prevention funding by more than half, from €423 million in 2018 to €181 million in 2026. However, this image is fabricated. El País did not publish such a front page; the actual 24 July issue leads with an interview with former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.
Official announcements have highlighted expanded national wildfire preparedness and prevention measures ahead of the 2026 season. According to the Ministry for Ecological Transition's latest Forest Investment Study, central government investment in wildfire prevention rose from €13 million in 2018 to €28.3 million in 2024.
Solar farm conspiracy theories
Another claim circulating online alleged that the fire in Los Gallardos was deliberately started to clear land for a solar farm project. Posts pointed to planning documents for the proposed Sorbas II photovoltaic project by energy company EIDF, alongside an official notice in Spain's Official State Gazette (BOE), suggesting a link to the fire that has killed at least 13 people.
However, a review by Spanish fact-checking outlet Maldita found no evidence to support this conclusion. The proposed site for the Sorbas II solar plant was not impacted by the wildfire, and the project was planned for agricultural land, meaning no reclassification would have been necessary. Authorities have not linked the cause of the fire to the solar project; their working hypothesis is that it was sparked by a fallen electricity cable or power line.
Other posts on X, Facebook, and TikTok have alleged a broader connection between solar farm projects and wildfires, claiming that developers or the government are deliberately setting fires to redevelop land. But Spain's Forestry Law generally prohibits changing the use of burned forest land for at least 30 years, except in limited circumstances defined by law, such as when construction is deemed to be in the public interest.
The spread of such misinformation comes as Spain also faces other challenges, including a rise in inflation and ongoing migration pressures, as seen in Ceuta's record migrant surge. Meanwhile, the EU has been coordinating wildfire aid for France and Spain, as heatwaves threaten to spread the blazes further.
For now, authorities are focused on containing the fires and investigating their causes, while urging the public to be cautious about what they share online. As Sánchez emphasized, the role of credible media is crucial in ensuring that misinformation does not compound the tragedy of the wildfires.
