Madrid sent the request to the commission early Wednesday seeking three Canadair fire-fighting airplanes, five helicopters equipped with special water buckets and 20 firetrucks, a spokesman for the EU executive said.

Under an EU civil protection programme, the commission manages requests for help with a natural disaster and keeps tabs on what resources are available in which member state.

Although Galicia suffers massive forest fires each year, the regional government said this year's destruction was "unprecedented", with about 110 blazes burning on Wednesday.