From my home in Ávila I usually have a splendid view of the ancient town’s medieval walls. But yesterday morning the wind changed direction and they were largely obscured by a pall of wildfire smoke. Last year I suggested that Spain’s summer fires are made so frequent and destructive by long, hot, dry summers and by rural depopulation, with the resulting abandonment of farming and grazing. As a result, when disaster strikes, the left-wing central government and the right-wing regional governments devote themselves to mutual recriminations. It is that prevention requires long-term planning, inter-party cooperation and unglamorous spending – and that Spaniards continue to reward their politicians’ incompetence.