Wildfire near Zaragoza devastates 7,600 hectares

Ores – 16.07.2026: A large-scale wildfire in the Aragonese comarca of Cinco Villas, northwest of Zaragoza, had affected around 7,600 hectares by Thursday evening. According to the regional government, the preliminary fire perimeter stretches for about 60 kilometres. Incident command has classified the blaze as one of the most severe and technically challenging wildfire events Aragon has experienced in recent years.

The fire broke out on Wednesday, 15 July, in the municipal area of Ores and spread to other parts of the region overnight. According to official and regional information, the towns of Ores, Asin and Luesia had to be temporarily evacuated. Residents of care facilities were also brought to safety. Reports on Thursday evening said that up to 700 people had to leave their homes temporarily.

The meteorological conditions are particularly problematic. Roberto Bermudez de Castro, the regional minister responsible for civil protection, pointed to exceptionally high temperatures, very low humidity and strong, irregular southerly winds. This combination encourages rapid spread and makes it difficult for emergency crews to secure the fire’s flanks on a lasting basis. The northern section of the fire in particular was considered difficult to contain.

Authorities therefore do not expect rapid full control. The immediate priority is to close the fire perimeter and prevent it from spreading again to settlements. The area cited so far is a preliminary estimate; in large forest and vegetation fires, it may still change as mapping progresses. According to media reports, agricultural land, scrubland and forest stands have been affected.

Aragon has activated the expanded civil protection mode of its wildfire plan for the operation. In addition to Infoar’s regional units, the Military Emergency Unit, UME, resources from Spain’s central government, firefighting forces from the province of Zaragoza and support from neighbouring regions are involved. The cooperation between several levels of government illustrates the scale of the operation and the limited reserves available amid simultaneously high wildfire risk.

The Ores fire comes after a series of other blazes in Aragon this summer. As recently as early July, a fire near Lecinena in the province of Zaragoza had affected more than 3,000 hectares according to preliminary information. The new major wildfire therefore underscores the strain on regional firefighting capacity. For people in the affected municipalities, the situation remains dependent on wind, humidity and the success of efforts to secure the fire lines.

The cause of the fire was unknown on Thursday evening. For now, regional authorities are focusing on protecting villages, assisting evacuated people and stabilising the fire boundaries. Only once no further spread is expected can incident command speak of the fire being stabilised and, subsequently, under control.