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.

"This is a fire situation we haven't experienced in 20 years," Defence Minister Margarita Robles told Cadena SER radio.

"The fires have special characteristics as a result of climate change and this huge heat wave," she said.

The heatwave spanning 16 days is the third-longest on record and sent temperatures up to 45 C over the weekend, according to state weather agency Aemet. It is expected to start easing on Monday evening or Tuesday.

Southern Europe is experiencing one of its worst wildfire seasons in two decades, with Spain and Portugal among the hardest-hit countries.

Helicopter

See Full Page