Forest fire northeast of Madrid destroys more than 13,000 hectares

Another major fire near Zaragoza

Already on Wednesday, a fire had broken out near Zaragoza in northeastern Spain that, according to the president of the region of Aragon, Jorge Azcón, destroyed almost 16,000 hectares of land. Around 14,400 hectares were destroyed there, Azcón said. According to the regional government of Aragon over the weekend, the situation was "still far from under control."

Ground crews are being supported from the air by 25 firefighting aircraft, according to RTVE. More than 500 emergency personnel on the ground are working to create firebreaks and contain the flames in this way. The authorities stressed that further spread of the fire is still to be expected.

Deadly fire in Andalusia

The current fire near Madrid is not the first severe forest fire in Spain this summer. Last week, 13 people were killed in a fire in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, the majority of them elderly foreign residents of the province of Almería, including seven Britons and three Belgians.

Data from the European Commission's forest fire information system (EFFIS) show that since the beginning of the year, large-scale fires in Spain have already destroyed more than 80,000 hectares of land. The burned area is thus already twice as large as in the entire year 2025.

Balance of the forest fire year so far

The situation had become particularly dramatic in August of last year, when the burned area in Spain surged from around 47,000 hectares at the end of July to 380,000 hectares within just a few days. The authorities warn that the current fires are part of a longer heatwave and ongoing drought affecting the entire Mediterranean region.

The fire in the province of Guadalajara is raging in terrain that is difficult to access, which further complicates firefighting efforts. The region lies on the edge of the Sierra Norte National Park, an extensive forested area considered particularly prone to fires. Because of the steep slopes and dense vegetation, flames can spread especially quickly there.

Situation in the Sierra Norte National Park

Around 1,100 people had to temporarily leave their homes, according to authorities. Many of them were accommodated in emergency shelters in the surrounding municipalities. The authorities set up information hotlines and urged the public to give the affected area a wide berth.

Weather services expect temperatures well above 35 degrees Celsius and no significant rainfall in the coming days. Conditions for quickly containing the fire therefore remain extremely unfavourable. Smaller fires are also currently being reported in other parts of Spain, including in Catalonia and in the Valencian hinterland.

Spain has in recent years invested heavily in firefighting, including with a larger fleet of firefighting aircraft and improved early warning systems. Nevertheless, emergency personnel are reaching the limits of their capacity during extreme weather conditions such as the current heatwave. The European Union has requested additional firefighting aircraft through the civil protection mechanism.

Forest fires across southern Europe

Firefighters in other southern European countries are also currently battling severe forest fires. In Portugal and Greece, thousands of hectares of forest are also affected. The European Commission warns that the frequency and intensity of forest fires in Europe will continue to increase due to climate change.

The regional government of Castilla-La Mancha has meanwhile announced an initial damage assessment. In addition to the destroyed forest areas, several agricultural operations and individual residential buildings were also affected. Exact figures are not yet available, however.

The situation remains tense for residents in the evacuated municipalities. Many do not yet know whether their homes have withstood the flames. Local aid organisations have called for donations of water, food and animal feed.

The coming days will, according to the authorities' assessment, be decisive in determining whether the spread of the fire can be stopped. Should the fire continue to not be brought under control, further localities may have to be evacuated.