Confinement lifted as firefighters secure flank of Castillonroy wildfire in Aragon, 400 hectares burned
Preventive confinement of Albelda was lifted Thursday morning as over 200 firefighters work to contain a fire that has already consumed 400 hectares near Castillonroy, Huesca.
Fire origin and spread
The fire broke out around 18:14 on Wednesday 8 July in the municipality of Castillonroy, in Aragon's La Litera region. Fueled by high temperatures, wind and low humidity, it spread rapidly across agricultural land with patches of scrub. By Thursday morning an estimated 400 hectares had burned, roughly half of it forest. The blaze is the fourth wildfire in Aragon this summer and the second in the same comarca after a late-June fire in Tamarite de Litera that consumed over 4,000 hectares.
Confinement and safety measures
As flames and heavy smoke advanced toward the town of Albelda (population 800-1,000), authorities sent an ES-Alert message at around 21:30 ordering residents to stay indoors with windows and doors closed. The measure, described as purely preventive, remained in place overnight. At first light on Thursday, with conditions slightly improved, the Government of Aragon lifted the confinement and reopened the N-230 highway, which had been closed between kilometres 36.7 and 37. The regional A-140 road remains closed between Alfarràs and Tamarite to allow firefighting vehicles free movement.
Although the fire is still active and at Operational Situation 2 Level 2 of Civil Protection, the most important thing is that Albelda has been deconfined this morning and the population is no longer at immediate risk.
- Fire breaks out in Castillonroy, spreads rapidly through agricultural land and scrub.
- ES-Alert message orders preventive confinement of Albelda residents.
- PROCINFO plan raised to Operational Situation 2 Level 2, UME activated.
- Confinement of Albelda lifted, N-230 road reopened.
- Firefighting focus turns to securing right flank; 200 personnel remain on site.
Firefighting deployment
The operation fields over 200 personnel drawn from multiple agencies. INFOAR, the Aragon government's fire service, has deployed five heliborne brigades with their helicopters, seven pumpers, eight ground brigades, an advanced command post and a heavy bulldozer. The Ministry for Ecological Transition supplied a BRIF unit from Daroca, while the Ministry of Defence contributed a section of the Military Emergency Unit (UME). Firefighters from Huesca and Zaragoza, provincial crews and local farmers (who opened firebreaks with tractors) are also assisting. The priority today is to secure the fire's right flank and prevent any spread back toward Albelda.
Weather outlook
A heat wave that is easing across much of Spain still grips Aragon. According to AEMET, temperatures will remain above 40°C with southerly winds and low humidity, conditions that create the highest risk between 17:00 and 22:00. The councilor responsible for emergencies, Roberto Bermúdez de Castro, called the forecast "sad, because more heat is expected" and warned that the afternoon will again be difficult.
Summer of fires in Aragon
The Castillonroy fire follows a destructive pattern. Only ten days earlier a fire in the neighbouring municipality of Tamarite de Litera burned more than 4,000 hectares. The current blaze has already cut two power lines, leaving Castillonroy with limited electricity and mobile coverage; the utility Endesa is working to restore supply. The Government of Aragon maintains Operational Situation 2 Level 2 of the PROCINFO plan, keeping the UME on standby as long as the risk of new flare-ups persists.
