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A local honey producer can be found on a elevated area near the tiny community of Porto de Sanabria.

He references the very spot where lightning hit a few weeks prior, sparking a wildfire with disastrous consequences.

"This season has been a calamity for me on a personal level, but also for regional agriculturists and all residents in this area," he says. "Having lived 47 years and I've never seen a fire that violent."

Ultimately destroying in excess of 20,000 square meters of land and forcing numerous of people to be relocated from towns in this agriculturally rich corner of Spain's northwest.

Yet it constituted just one among many large-scale conflagrations which have ravaged Spain this summer, burning 0.8% of the country's landmass.

The most heavily affected zones were here in the western north, including the territories of a autonomous community and another community, along with the westernmost region of a pastoral territory.

Impact on Beekeeping

Beekeeping, which is an important industry in countryside this part of the nation, was one of the main sufferers of the summer.

Thankfully, the beekeeper's colonies are undamaged, because the fire stopped just yards away from the fields where he maintains them.

"I project that this year I'm going to miss out on 50% of my honey output, at the very least, because of the fires, and the following year the same, or even more damaging," the apiarist says.

The non-existence of structural damage to his hives means he cannot claim insurance.

He is considering moving many of them to different areas, in the hope of improving the bees' chances of survival and reducing his future losses.

Animal Herders Likewise Harmed

Numerous livestock farmers have also been compelled to move their animals in recent weeks, both to avoid fires and to make certain they can access untouched pasture.

"Conditions were disastrous for farmers [this summer], it was an endless cycle of infernos," says a cattle farmer from a small community.

He suffered the death of around 30 animals this summer, most recently having to euthanize 11 animals which had experienced severe burns.

"These events has had a big monetary impact, but the biggest impact of all is that we can't sleep at night," he comments. "This is a constant anxiety."

While farmers expect to receive insurance compensation, he suspects there will be a secondary cost.

"Insurance could cover us, but next year, rather than costing us, for example, €5,000, insurance costs will amount to €10,000 or €15,000," he predicts. "As insurance companies don't want to lose money."

Economic Toll and Travel Industry Losses

The COAG national farmers' association calculated in August that the industry had incurred damages worth at least €600m.

The most significant costs have been charred fields and properties and losses of animals.

Another main economic victim of this summer's fires has been tourism, which accounts for 13% of Spanish GDP.

While most of the beach destinations associated with tourism escaped fires this summer, the southmost province of a tourist hotspot was an exception.

Additionally this summer's main wildfire hotspots, in the west and north-west, have cultivated rural tourism in the past few years.

The largest glacial lake, the greatest glacial reservoir in the Iberia, is a major local attraction.

However the spread of the fire that began in the locality in the middle of August caused it to be shut down.

"In August, this area was at maximum occupancy in terms of tourism," says a local official. "And then, on 18 August, it dropped down to 10% of capacity."

Among visitors this was disruptive. But for many inhabitants it equated to financial ruin.

"Local authorities has said it will pay me €5,500," he remarks, with irony. "They are going to have to come up with some other kind of reimbursement because I didn't want to close, they compelled me to."

Wider Social Effects

The recent season has underlined the well-known schism between urban and non-urban Spain.

Years of migration from rural areas to urban hubs means that 90% of the Spanish population now resides in just 30% of its territory.

The other part has become known as "empty Spain", where a sparse population has often expressed frustration about a lack of infrastructure.

These blazes, which have been particularly hard to control this year, only compound that dissatisfaction.

"It is difficult as it is to survive because of the price of animal feed and fuel – every day it's more challenging for farmers to survive," he says. "And then on top that, this occurs."