23.15: Forest fires continue to blaze out of control throughout Galicia. The one most relevant to me has reached the top of the mountain opposite my house, on the other side of Pontevedra. This is where some friends of mine live, a few yards from a petrol station. They’ve just called to say they’re evacuating their house. I feel rather powerless. And not much like writing. So that’s it for today.

08.45: My friends sent me a message at 3.45 saying the fire had been contained - just short of the house - and they were now less concerned because the strong winds had abated. Although it’s a clear, cloudless day, the mountain behind Pontevedra is invisible below a dense layer of smoke from the smouldering ashes. And to think this fire might well have been deliberately started.