Spain is entering its highest-risk wildfire period, with multiple active fronts and thousands of hectares already scorched. According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), the country has lost nearly 50,000 hectares so far in 2026, surpassing the 39,700 hectares reported by Spain’s Ministry for Ecological Transition through 21 June. The discrepancy arises from differing methodologies: the ministry relies on official regional reports, while EFFIS uses continuous satellite imagery.
Active Fires Across the Country
In Aragon, the fire near Leciñena (Zaragoza) remains the most concerning, having devastated approximately 2,200 hectares. Another blaze in La Fueva (Huesca) forced the preventive evacuation of the villages of Morillo de Monclús and Formigales. These incidents follow closely on the heels of the Tamarite de Litera-Alcampell fire, which burned around 4,000 hectares and led to evacuations in three towns.
Further south, a fire declared near the Despeñaperros Natural Park in Jaén remains active. The Infoca plan has raised the emergency to operational situation 1, and aerial resources resumed firefighting operations after an overnight effort. Nearly 200 people have been preventively evacuated, including residents of Miranda del Rey and children from a nearby farm school.
In the Canary Islands, the regional government lifted the forest fire alert on Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro as of Thursday morning, though a pre-alert for forest fire risk remains in place.
June: The Most Destructive Month
June has been the most destructive month of the year, with around 15,900 hectares burned. By province, Cantabria leads with approximately 15,500 hectares affected, while Álava has seen about 100 hectares scorched—a figure far above the norm for this time of year, according to an analysis by RTVE.
So far in 2026, Spain has recorded 14 major forest fires—those exceeding 500 hectares. The most recent include blazes in San Bartolomé de la Torre and Villanueva de los Castillejos (Huelva), Alcampell (Huesca), Obejo (Córdoba), and Congosto (León).
European Context
The situation in Spain is part of a broader European trend. Across the European Union, approximately 130,400 hectares have already burned, 16% more than the average for this time of year. Similar challenges are being faced elsewhere on the continent, as seen in Southern France, where a heatwave forced the evacuation of 3,000 people, and in Portugal, which deployed over 1,000 firefighters to combat wildfires.
The figures remain provisional and may change as satellite estimates and official reports from Spain’s autonomous regions are updated. The coming weeks will be critical as the peak fire season intensifies across the Iberian Peninsula and beyond.
