Spain enters peak fire season with blazes active and 50,000 hectares burned

Spain is entering its highest wildfire risk season, with several fronts either active or under surveillance.

The country has just emerged from a record-breaking heatwave that left hundreds dead and pushed temperatures beyond 45°C in parts of the south, leaving soils parched and vegetation desiccated across much of the country.

Following a record dry spell in May, the topsoil has been stripped of moisture, eliminating the land's natural ability to cool itself – and creating near-ideal conditions for fires to ignite and spread. Authorities have warned of a high risk of wildfires amid a worsening drought, with the accumulated heat expected to persist into early July.

Where are wildfires burning in Spain?

In Aragon, the fire in Leciñena, Zaragoza, remains the most worrying after devastating around 2,200 hectares, while another blaze declared in La Fueva, Huesca, forced the preventive evacuation of Morillo de Monclús and Formigales.

The region enters July after two major wildfires in just a few days: the one in Leciñena and another in Tamarite de Litera-Alcampell, which burned around 4,000 hectares and triggered evacuations in three towns. This fire is joined by a blaze declared in the area around the Despeñaperros Natural Park in Jaén, which remains active this Thursday (2 July).

The INFOCA Plan (Forest Fire Emergency Plan of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia) has declared Operational Situation 1 – a state of emergency indicating a wildfire threatens, or has already affected, people and properties – and aerial firefighting has resumed after a night of work in the area.

The fire has led to the preventive evacuation of almost 200 people, including residents of Miranda del Rey and children from a nearby farm school.

Meanwhile, in the Canary Islands, the regional government has lifted the forest fire alert on Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro as of 8am this Thursday, although it is keeping a pre-alert for forest fire risk in place.

The situation coincides with the start of the period of highest forest-fire danger. According to data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), Spain has already lost nearly 50,000 hectares so far in 2026, compared with the 39,700 hectares recorded by the Ministry for Ecological Transition up to 21 June.

The discrepancy is down to the methodology used by each source: while the ministry compiles official reports from the autonomous regions, EFFIS makes a continuous estimate using satellite imagery.

15,900 hectares burned in June

June has so far been the most destructive month of the year, with around 15,900 hectares scorched across Spain. By province, Cantabria tops the tally, with around 15,500 hectares affected, while Álava stands out for having burned some 100 hectares, a figure far higher than usual at this point in the year, according to an analysis by Spanish broadcaster RTVE.

So far in 2026, Spain has recorded 14 major forest fires, defined as those that exceed 500 hectares. The most recent have broken out in San Bartolomé de la Torre and Villanueva de los Castillejos, in Huelva; Alcampell, in Huesca; Obejo, in Córdoba; and Congosto, in León.

The wider European context is also worrying. Across the European Union, around 130,400 hectares, 16 per cent more than is normal for this time of year, have already burned. The figures are still provisional and may change as satellite estimates and the official reports from the autonomous regions are updated.