Wildfire in Huesca burns 2,500 hectares and forces evacuation of five villages

Fire origin and spread

A forest fire broke out at 12:37 on Monday, 10 August 2026, near Santa María de la Peña, on the banks of the reservoir of the same name, in the municipality of Las Peñas de Riglos (Huesca). The blaze advanced rapidly north-northeast, following the road toward the Santa Bárbara pass, through a large repopulated pine forest that fueled its spread. The Government of Aragón's Infoar service reported that by Monday night the fire had consumed 2,500 hectares, though some sources earlier gave a provisional figure of around 2,000 hectares. The fire's speed was extreme during the afternoon: between 16:30 and 17:30 it burned up to 700 hectares per hour, before dropping to 100 hectares per hour between 18:00 and 19:00.

Evacuations

The fire forced the evacuation of four villages on Monday: Villalangua, Salillas de Jaca, Ena, and Centenero, displacing 120 people. Thirty-five of them were housed in sports halls in Jaca and Ayerbe, with the rest staying with relatives. Red Cross and the comarcas of La Hoya and the Jacetania provided assistance. On Tuesday morning, Civil Protection ordered the preventive evacuation of Arbués, affecting approximately 50 additional people who were transferred to Jaca, bringing the total displaced to around 170. Bailo and Alastuey remained on pre-alert for possible evacuation.

Response and containment efforts

The Government of Aragón activated Operational Situation 2, Level 1, of the Special Civil Protection Plan for Forest Fires (PROCFILE). More than 200 personnel and 14 aerial means from Infoar, the Ministry for Ecological Transition (MITECO), the Government of Navarra, the Provincial Council of Huesca, and the Huesca city council were deployed. A second section of the Military Emergency Unit (UME), approximately 40 personnel, was activated, along with a Pegasus team from the Guardia Civil deployed overnight. The 14 aerial means were unable to operate during the night. Aragón requested support from Catalonia, and Navarra announced it would send a helicopter-borne brigade and a light helicopter. The fire was described as relatively contained on the right flank by a firebreak. Overnight, ground crews focused on building a defense line at the head of the fire near Paternoy to prevent it from crossing the A-132 road, which remained cut between Santa María de la Peña and Puente la Reina de Jaca.

Official statements

Vice president of the Aragón government Mar Vaquero, who chaired the CECOPI meeting, described the fire as "very complicated" because it affects a large forest mass.

un incendio muy complicado porque afecta a una gran masa forestal

Government delegate in Aragón Fernando Beltrán announced that the central government had been asked to include the fire on the agenda of an upcoming Council of Ministers to declare the zone as "gravely affected by a civil protection emergency."

Resident accounts

Residents of Salinas de Jaca had conducted a fire drill the previous week, practicing with hoses and water outlets. Montserrat Vicente, a resident sheltering in Jaca, said the danger was something they "saw coming." Joshua Gil, the local mayor of Villalangua, received the INFOAR alert between 10:30 and 11:00 and initially saw what looked like a small line of fire. About two hours later, the Guardia Civil arrived to order evacuation. Villalangua normally has about 11 residents, though the population rises to around 60 in summer. Neighbors organized quickly to warn elderly residents and distribute them in cars, Gil said.