Catalonia and Aragon wildfires trigger evacuations, road closures and military assistance

A forest fire broke out on 12‑13 July 2026 in the Vall d'Infern area of Aiguamúrcia (Alt Camp, Tarragona). By the evening the blaze had consumed more than 110 ha of forest, with officials estimating a potential spread to up to 1 000 ha. Protection Civil ordered the confinement of about 2 500 residents in the municipalities of Aiguamúrcia, Querol, Pontons, La Llacuna and Torrelles de Foix, and evacuated 300‑400 people from four urbanisations. The fire was fought by more than 200 firefighters, 70 ground units and 12 aerial assets, supported by the Group of Forest Action (GRAF), the Active Forest Prevention unit (EPAF) and volunteer forest‑defence groups. Police and rural agents are investigating a possible arson motive, citing “indications” of a deliberately set fire.

In the neighbouring autonomous community of Aragon, a separate vegetation fire erupted in Peñarroya de Tastavins (Teruel). The blaze threatened the town’s outskirts, prompting the regional government to activate the special forest‑fire emergency plan at operational level 2 and request the deployment of the Unidad Militar de Emergencias (UME). Roads A‑1414 and nearby routes were closed, and an ES‑Alert warned residents of Ráfales, Fuentespalda, Peñarroya de Tastavins and Monroyo to stay safe from smoke. The response involved a coordination helicopter, four air‑transported brigades, 19 ground brigades, 11 fire‑bombers and bulldozers, plus support from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition’s aerial units. No injuries were reported.

Both incidents occurred amid a heatwave with temperatures around 32 °C, low humidity and strong “marinada” winds, leading authorities to keep large areas under extreme fire‑risk alerts.