The European Commission is deploying firefighting aircraft to Spain, where at least seven have died as 14 wildfires have flared amid a European heat wave.

A wildfire threatened the 17th century Atalaia fort in Verin, Spain, on Saturday. Built as defence against neighbouring Portugal during the War of Restoration, the fort did not burn despite the flames scorching the vegetation nearby.

Drone footage shows the aftermath of wildfires that swept through Spain's Galicia region:: Verin, Spain:: The country was battling 14 major blazes driven by high winds and aggravated by heat:: The flames have consumed around 388,

Spain is grappling with historic wildfires across more than 51 locations nationwide, forcing more than 4,000 residents to spend the night outdoors. Local authorities cited by news agency EFE said wildfires are ongoing in at least 25 areas in Castile and Leon, 14 in Galicia, 12 in Asturias and several others in the southern region of Extremadura.

A second volunteer firefighter has died after battling a wildfire in the northern Spanish province of Leon, while police arrested a man for allegedly starting a separate blaze as the country faced one of its worst summers for fires in 20 years.

The European Union has sent two firefighting planes to Spain to help battle raging wildfires, after the country activated the bloc's disaster assistance mechanism for the first time. The assistance comes as the country recorded a third wildfire-related death on Thursday morning.

Spiridon was one of three people to die in Spain’s wildfires this week, each of them ordinary people who saw the flames and rushed to help.

A volunteer firefighter died from severe burns and several people were hospitalised as the state weather agency warned that almost all of the country was at extreme or very high risk of fire.