Spain enters peak fire season with blazes active and 50,000 hectares burned
Fires in Leciñena, Despeñaperros and elsewhere are keeping emergency services on alert as the high-risk season begins. Spain has already lost nearly 50,000 hectares to wildfires in 2026, according to European estimates.
Published on 02/07/2026 - 11:33 GMT+2
Spain is entering the period of highest wildfire risk, with several fronts either active or under surveillance. 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 reaches July after two major wildfires in just a few days: the one in Leciñena and the Tamarite de Litera-Alcampell fire, 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 (Jaén), which remains active this Thursday. The Infoca plan has raised the emergency to operational situation 1, and aerial resources have resumed firefighting tasks 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 8:00 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. 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 "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% 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.
