Huelva wildfire stabilised after burning over 5,000 hectares and forcing 370 evacuations

Fire reaches stabilisation

The wildfire declared on Monday in the Los Turbios area of Villanueva de los Castillejos (Huelva) was stabilised on Wednesday evening, according to the Andalusian Forest Fire Fighting Plan (Infoca). The fire, which also affected the municipalities of San Bartolomé de la Torre and Gibraleón, has burned more than 5,000 hectares, making it the largest wildfire in Spain so far in 2026.

“The evolution during the afternoon has nothing to do with what we experienced yesterday. We have achieved a much more favourable situation.”

The acting regional minister of Health, Presidency and Emergencies, Antonio Sanz, announced the stabilisation from the Advanced Command Post in San Bartolomé de la Torre. The decision followed an analysis of the latest reports by the Management Committee and came after a day of intense work by firefighting crews.

Evacuations and emergency level

The fire forced the evacuation of more than 370 residents across the affected municipalities. By Wednesday night, the emergency level was downgraded from operational situation 2 to level 1, authorising the return of the last 96 people who remained displaced. Roads in the area have returned to normal, and the reopening of the Huelva-Zafra railway line between Gibraleón and Calañas is pending authorisation from Adif, the railway infrastructure manager.

“When good work is done and planned with a good team, results like this are obtained, which is the best possible.”

Sanz described the fire as "voracious and complex" and noted that at its peak it reached a spread rate of 200 hectares per hour. The Guardia Civil has opened an investigation into the cause but has already ruled out that the fire was started intentionally.

Firefighting deployment

The operation mobilised up to 512 personnel, including 250 troops from the Military Emergency Unit (UME) with more than 80 vehicles, Infoca forest firefighters, the Huelva Provincial Fire Consortium, and the Guardia Civil. The aerial fleet totalled 28 aircraft, including three FOCA amphibious planes from the Ministry for Ecological Transition. For Wednesday night, the Infoca device consisted of 265 professionals, including 30 forest firefighter groups and 16 heavy extinguishing vehicles.

“Although everything pointed to today being a very difficult day, the strategy and planning were right.”

Sanz extended his gratitude to all involved agencies, including local police, health services, the Red Cross, and Civil Protection, and gave special recognition to the town councils of San Bartolomé de la Torre and Gibraleón.

Weather and next phase

After strong gusts earlier in the week, weather conditions improved on Wednesday evening with variable southerly winds, rising humidity, and low wind intensity forecast overnight. These factors aided the containment effort. The fire now enters a new phase focused on definitive control and full extinction, though Sanz cautioned that hours of monitoring remain ahead and urged "respect and prudence" regarding the ongoing investigation into the fire's origin.

Regional context

The fire comes at the start of the high-risk wildfire season, before summer officially begins on 21 June. Last year, Andalusia recorded 6,327 hectares burned between 1 June and 31 October. Combined with the nearly 400 hectares burned in the Almonte fire in late May, the two Huelva fires already approach that total. Infoca had previously warned of a large accumulation of fine fuel and biomass in Andalusian forests, susceptible to burning even outside the traditional campaign period.