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José Antonio Bruña can be found on a slope near the tiny community of a rural settlement.

He references the precise spot where lightning hit a few weeks prior, triggering a blaze with disastrous consequences.

"This season has been a disaster for me on a personal level, but also for nearby producers and all residents here," he says. "Having lived 47 years and I've never experienced a fire that fierce."

Ultimately burning over 20,000 square meters of land and causing a multitude of people to be relocated from towns in this farming-heavy corner of north-western Spain.

But it was just one of several vast conflagrations which have devastated Spain this season, burning 0.8% of the country's landmass.

The most heavily affected areas were situated in the north-west, including the territories of a autonomous community and Galicia, as well as the westerly region of a bordering zone.

Consequences for Apiculture

Honey production, which is an vital industry in rural north-west Spain, was one of the key casualties of the summer.

Luckily, the beekeeper's colonies are intact, because the fire ceased just a short distance away from the plots where he keeps them.

"I project that this year I'm going to miss out on 50% of my honey output, as a minimum, because of the fires, and the next year the same, or even worse," Mr Bruña says.

The lack of material damage to his hives means he does not qualify for insurance.

He is evaluating moving many of them elsewhere, in the hope of bettering the bees' prospects of survival and minimizing his future losses.

Livestock Farmers Similarly Harmed

Numerous livestock farmers have also been obliged to move their animals in recent weeks, both to escape fires and to guarantee they can access unburned pasture.

"The situation was dire for farmers [this summer], it was a continuous series of blazes," says a rancher from Castromil.

He has lost around 30 cattle this summer, most recently having to euthanize 11 animals which had experienced severe burns.

"The situation has had a big economic impact, but the biggest impact of all is that we lie awake at night," he says. "This is a constant tension."

While farmers expect to receive insurance payouts, he suspects there will be a knock-on cost.

"Insurance could cover us, but next year, instead of costing us, for example, €5,000, insurance premiums will total €10,000 or €15,000," he warns. "Because insurance companies don't want to lose money."

Monetary Impact and Travel Industry Declines

An agricultural representative body assessed in August that the industry had experienced damages worth at least €600m.

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

Another main economic casualty of this summer's fires has been tourism, which constitutes 13% of Spanish GDP.

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

Moreover this summer's main wildfire epicenters, in the west and north-west, have developed rural tourism in recent years.

A major natural attraction, the largest glacial body of water in the the peninsula, is a major local attraction.

But the advance of the fire that began in Porto de Sanabria in August caused it to be evacuated.

"In August, this area was at full capacity in terms of tourism," says the mayor. "Subsequently, on 18 August, it plummeted to 10% of capacity."

Among visitors this was problematic. But for many residents it meant financial catastrophe.

"The administration has said it will pay me €5,500," he states, sarcastically. "It will be necessary to come up with some other kind of payment because I didn't want to close, they forced me to."

Larger Social Repercussions

This summer has emphasized the well-known divide between metropolitan and countryside Spain.

A long time of migration from rural areas to metropolises means that 90% of the Spanish population now lives in just 30% of its territory.

The rest has become known as "empty Spain", where a thin population has often complained about a shortage of infrastructure.

These blazes, which have been particularly difficult to manage this year, only worsen that dissatisfaction.

"It's hard enough as it is to survive because of the expense of animal feed and fuel – every day it's more challenging for farmers to make ends meet," he says. "Furthermore, this occurs."