Spain's wildfire season off to worrying start as burned land more than doubles
More than 16,000 hectares have already gone up in flames across Spain by the end of April
Spain has already seen more than 16,300 hectares destroyed by wildfires in the first four months of 2026, according to new figures released by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO).The latest preliminary report shows that 16,330.91 hectares burned between Wednesday January 1 and Wednesday April 30, which is more than double the amount lost during the same period in 2025, when 7,227.64 hectares were affected.
The figures underline growing concerns about the early start to this year’s wildfire season, especially after Spain saw wildfire damage more than double during the first quarter of the year.
A total of 2,624 wildfire incidents have been recorded so far this year. Of those, 1,637 were classified as small fires affecting less than one hectare. However, three were considered major forest fires, each burning more than 500 hectares.
Even so, the ministry pointed out that the total area burned remains 29.6% lower than the average for the first four months of the year over the past decade. In fact, 2026 currently ranks as the fifth lowest year for hectares burned in the last ten years.
The north-west of Spain has been the hardest hit area so far, accounting for more than half of all incidents and over 80% of the forested land destroyed.
According to the report, 2,195.15 hectares of woodland have burned, along with 9,696.06 hectares of scrubland and open countryside, plus a further 4,439.70 hectares of pasture and meadow land.
The Mediterranean region accounted for 13.15% of incidents and 21.54% of affected wooded areas.
Murcia residents will also remember the dramatic wildfire that tore through Sierra Espuña at the end of March, when around 400 hectares of protected parkland were devastated by flames in one of the region’s most serious fires in recent years.
The latest figures also come after Spain endured a devastating wildfire year in 2025, with hundreds of thousands of hectares scorched across the country.
With summer temperatures still ahead, authorities are continuing to monitor conditions closely as the risk of further fires increases across many parts of Spain.
Image: wikicommons
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