A wildfire that has been burning across northeastern Spain for the past two days has grown into one of the Aragón region’s largest and most complex fires in recent years, destroying more than 12,000 hectares of farmland, scrubland and woodland while forcing the evacuation of five municipalities, regional authorities said on Friday.
Officials warned that the blaze, which began on Wednesday near Orés in Zaragoza province’s Cinco Villas region, remains highly dangerous, with extreme weather conditions continuing to hamper firefighting efforts and creating a ‘very high risk of spreading’.
More than 450 firefighters, supported by army reinforcements, aircraft, heavy machinery and specialist wildfire units from across Spain, remain engaged in a major operation to contain the blaze, which has been burning through a sparsely populated area west of Zaragoza. ALSO READ: Sánchez unveils Spain’s largest anti-wildfire operation after devastating 2025 fires.
‘The night has been very complex, very difficult. At this time, we estimate that the burned area exceeds 12,000 hectares,’ Roberto Bermúdez de Castro, Aragón’s regional minister responsible for finance, the interior and public administration, told reporters on Friday.
Just a day earlier, the fire had already consumed around 4,500 hectares as emergency services warned it had reached a critical phase.
‘The fire is at a critical and complex stage,’ Bermúdez de Castro said. ‘We had a very difficult night, with erratic winds. We’ve made significant progress thanks to the efforts of every authority and all the teams deployed, but there’s still a huge amount of work ahead.’
The wildfire remains active under Operational Situation 2, Level 2 of Aragón’s Special Civil Protection Plan for Forest Fires (Procinfo), following an emergency coordination meeting at the regional 112 Crisis Centre in Zaragoza.
Residents of Malpica de Arba, Orés, Asín, Luesia and Uncastillo have all been evacuated as a precaution. People in Uncastillo received Spain’s nationwide ES-Alert emergency warning directly on their mobile phones.
Most evacuees are staying either with relatives or at a sports centre in Ejea de los Caballeros, where around 80 people are being accommodated. Another 54 residents from elderly care homes in the affected villages have been transferred to facilities in Zaragoza.
Forecasters warned that north and north-westerly winds, with gusts exceeding 40 kilometres per hour, could continue to threaten firefighting efforts, while afternoon humidity levels are expected to remain extremely low despite overnight recovery.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the government had mobilised ‘all the necessary resources to deal with the emergency’ and urged the public to exercise ‘extreme caution’. In a message posted on X, he also expressed his ‘solidarity with everyone affected by the wildfire in Orés, Zaragoza’.
The latest emergency comes as Spain is still recovering from last week’s devastating wildfire in the southern region of Andalusia, which claimed 13 lives – including seven Britons and one American – and destroyed around 7,000 hectares, making it the country’s deadliest wildfire disaster in recent history. ALSO READ: Seven Britons among 13 wildfire victims as British Ambassador meets survivors in Almeria.
Scientists say human-driven climate change is increasing the frequency, intensity and duration of extreme heat, creating conditions that allow wildfires to spread more rapidly while making them significantly harder to contain.
During a visit to the fire-ravaged areas of Andalusia earlier this week, Sánchez warned that Spain was facing a complicated summer’ for wildfires. ALSO READ: Sánchez praises firefighters and calls for climate action as identification of wildfire victims begins.
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🔥 El incendio de #IFOrés supera las 12.000 hectáreas y mantiene evacuadas cinco localidades.
— Gobierno de Aragón (@GobAragon) July 17, 2026
🏘️ Los vecinos de las poblaciones de Orés, Asín, Luesia, Malpica de Arba y Uncastillo continúan realojados y atendidos, tanto en los recursos habilitados como en otros alojamientos.
🧑🚒… pic.twitter.com/UHzlWK5jCU
El #IFOrés continúa activo y fuera de control, hay cuatro localidades evacuadas (Orés, Asín, Luesia y Malpica de Arba) y 5.000 hectareas arrasadas… Preocupa la cabeza y el flanco izquierdo del incendio, que se puede complicar está tarde por las altas temperaturas y el viento 🔥 pic.twitter.com/r4OFRDaqEx
— Meteo Aragón (@meteo_aragon) July 16, 2026
Así ha sido la llegada del #BIEM4 #IFOrés #Zaragoza@IIFFAragon@112Aragon pic.twitter.com/xFHPgVEfYL
— UME (@UMEgob) July 15, 2026
Toda mi solidaridad con los vecinos y vecinas afectados por el incendio en Orés, en Zaragoza.
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) July 16, 2026
Seguimos muy de cerca la evolución del fuego. Hemos movilizado todos los recursos necesarios para hacer frente a la emergencia. Gracias a quienes trabajan sin descanso para proteger… https://t.co/0zpHUXs4st
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