Wildfires in Spain: before, during and after

An incendio forestal, as Protección Civil defines it, is a fire that spreads uncontrolled across forest land not intended for burning. According to the same body, on average around 80 wildfires a year affect the population, mostly through preventive evacuations. This guide is built from primary sources: Protección Civil, 112 Comunitat Valenciana, the Ministerio de Sanidad, the Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros and the BOE. The focus is on the urbanizaciones of the Comunitat Valenciana, but the national rules apply across Spain.

In 60 seconds: the essentials

1. You see fire or smoke in the forest — call 112. Address and municipality first. Everyone has a duty to report a fire (Ley 43/2003, art. 45).
2. By default: into the house, not the car. Confinamiento is the usual protective measure; evacuation only on the authorities' order (PEIF Comunitat Valenciana).
3. Close up the house: windows, doors, shutters, gaps — with wet cloths; switch off gas and fuel; belongings and documents into the car in case you have to leave (112 CV, Protección Civil infographic).
4. Ordered to evacuate — leave at once, calmly, by the route indicated. Do not drive into thick smoke; if you stop — engine off, windows closed, lie on the car floor (112 CV).
5. Smoke: FFP2 or N95; a surgical mask and a scarf do not protect (Sanidad). Close windows and ventilation.
6. Afterwards: photos before cleaning → insurer within 7 days → keep receipts and remains. The Consorcio does not pay for fire.

Before: the season, the rules and the house

Two danger scales

Since 2026 AEMET rates fire danger on the new IPIF index with six categories: muy bajo, bajo, moderado, alto, muy alto and extremo, at a resolution of 1 km. In the Comunitat Valenciana its own nivel de preemergencia scale runs in parallel under the PEIF plan: level 1 — low to medium danger, level 2 — high, level 3 — extreme; the level is declared daily for the 7 zones of the region. On a level 3 day any fire is banned in the forest and in the influence strip around it (112 CV). Two scales are not a mistake: AEMET describes the weather, the region sets the restriction regime.

Fire, barbecues, burning branches: the rules are regional

Ley 43/2003 de Montes hands the regulation of fire in the forest and adjacent areas to the autonomous communities (art. 44.3) and tasks them with setting the «épocas de mayor riesgo» (art. 48.4). Protección Civil says it plainly: each autonomía sets the restrictions and their period of validity, and issues permits for quemas. There is no single national calendar — look for the order in force in your region; dates and rules change from year to year and may be extended. In the Comunitat Valenciana the regulation in force is Decreto 91/2023 (listed on the GVA Medi Ambient website); the rules cover the forest and a strip of up to 500 m around it (112 CV).

The national minimum, binding everywhere (art. 48.6): when AEMET or the regional weather service forecasts muy alto or extremo danger, the region must immediately ban any open-air fire, suspend all permits for quemas, ban fire in roadside rest areas, recreational areas and campsites, the use of spark-producing machinery in the forest and in a 400 m strip around it, the bringing in and use of pyrotechnics, and the throwing of burning objects.

Fines under the same Ley 43/2003: breaching the art. 48 bans is always an infracción grave, from 1,001 to 100,000 € (art. 48.8 and 74.b); if the damage to the forest takes longer than 6 months to recover — muy grave, from 100,001 € to €1 million (art. 74.c). Using fire in the forest «under unauthorised conditions, periods or places» is a separate offence (art. 67.d); without damage — leve, from 100 to 1,000 € (art. 68 and 74.a). Regions may raise the penalties (art. 48.9), and all of this is «without prejudice to the Código Penal».

For the garden: 112 Comunitat Valenciana reminds that burning garden waste is not permitted; the Protección Civil infographic — do not burn leaves and waste on hot and windy days or without a permit.

Urbanización: what owners and the comunidad must do

• Self-protection plan. According to Protección Civil, urbanizaciones, villages, campsites and other sites in danger zones (defined by the region) must draw up a Plan de Autoprotección; the ayuntamiento approves it and includes it in the local emergency plan. Ask your comunidad and ayuntamiento: is there a plan, where are the evacuation routes and the assembly point.
• Protective strip and clearing. Ley 43/2003 (art. 44.3) tasks the regions with safety rules for the «interfase urbano-forestal». The specific requirements for the strip around the settlement and for plots are in the regional regulation (in the Comunitat Valenciana — Decreto 91/2023) and with the ayuntamiento; there is no single national width, and we do not name one.
• What to do on your plot (112 CV and the Protección Civil infographic): roads, access ways and ditches — free of dry grass; streets and houses — with legible signs; branches over the roof and near the chimney — removed; roof — free of leaves and branches; spark-arrester mesh on chimneys and paelleros; electrical panels, gas cylinders and fuel outside — on concrete or on ground without vegetation; know the evacuation routes.

For tenants: the duties for the plot lie with the owner and the comunidad, but you are the one who needs to know the evacuation plan and the assembly point — ask when you move in. On the contract and liability for the home, see the guide on renting a flat.

Family plan and a 72-hour kit

Protección Civil offers a Plan Familiar de Emergencias form with a basic 72-hour kit: a portable charger, torch, radio, batteries, bottled water, non-perishable food, regular medicines; keep it in a visible place at home. The form has a «datos de las mascotas» block: name, species and breed, colour, registration number. The Generalitat Valenciana citizen's guide adds: documents, a paper map, a whistle, a first-aid kit, cash, power banks, a knife. 112 CV for urbanizaciones: documents and important belongings — into the car in advance, in case you have to leave.

From us, in addition: photos of your TIE, passport, lease and padrón on your phone and in the cloud. This is our advice, not an official requirement.

ES-Alert and other warning channels

ES-Alert is Spain's version of EU-Alert on Cell Broadcast technology: the message goes out from the masts to every phone in the coverage area; Protección Civil calls it the «112 inverso» and lists wildfires among the phenomena the system warns about. Facts per the Protección Civil page:

• No registration or app needed. The system has no access to your location.
• Language: Spanish and, where applicable, the region's co-official language. The centre may add a second language — «usually English» — shown on a phone set to a non-Spanish language. Ukrainian and Russian are not promised.
• It arrives on a locked phone, in silent mode and in «do not disturb». A phone that is off or out of coverage will not receive it.
• Switching off the «Alerta de Protección Civil» level is not possible. The «Pre-Alerta» level can be disabled in settings.
• Technical: works on 4G and 5G networks. Phones running Android 8 or older do not receive the alerts; on Android 11 or newer and on iOS 15.6 or newer it is configured automatically.
• When you receive one: stay calm, read the text, warn people nearby, follow the instructions, keep an eye on radio and TV.

We found no official confirmation that ES-Alert is sent for every confinamiento. The Catalan leaflet lists other warning channels: loudspeakers from police and rescue vehicles, especially in urbanizaciones, and personal notification — door-to-door visits or telephone. Also follow the radio and your region's 112.

During: confinamiento or evacuation

Who decides and what the words mean

The Valencian PEIF plan states the rule like this: in a wildfire the usual protective measure is confinamiento, and evacuation is carried out only on the authorities' instructions. Three terms from the plan:

• Confinamiento — sheltering the population in their own homes, supplemented by personal self-protection measures.
• Alejamiento — moving people from exposed positions to safe places, usually nearby, by their own means.
• Evacuación — a longer-lasting measure, applied when the danger is great; preventive evacuation because of heavy smoke is possible.

The order for confinamiento, alejamiento or evacuación is given by the plan director on the proposal of the on-site commander (Puesto de Mando Avanzado) or the mayor of the affected municipality. The official Catalan leaflet (another region, but the same logic) explains the choice most clearly: shelter at home if the fire has already reached the house, is moving very fast or evacuation is dangerous — without other instructions from the authorities this is safer; evacuate in a planned way when the authorities have determined that the fire is far away and the route is safe; first — children, the elderly, people with breathing problems and with anxiety. The same leaflet advises preparing to evacuate when the fire is closer than 2 km to the house — this is a Catalan benchmark, not a Spain-wide rule.

Confinamiento: at home

Step by step per 112 Comunitat Valenciana and the Protección Civil infographic «Incendio en las cercanías de una casa de campo»:

1. Call 112 if the fire is nearby and may not have been reported yet.
2. Everyone indoors — the whole family and the pets (Generalitat de Catalunya leaflet).
3. Close doors, windows and shutters, take down the curtains (112 CV); plug the gaps to the outside with wet cloths (Protección Civil infographic).
4. Switch off the gas and other fuel (112 CV); the Protección Civil infographic — all utilities. Do not pour water where there may be electrical cables.
5. If there is time — move everything flammable away from the house, including garden furniture (112 CV).
6. Stock up on water: fill the bath and the sinks (112 CV).
7. Hoses. 112 CV and the Protección Civil infographic advise pointing open hoses at the roof and the surroundings of the house; the Catalan leaflet specifies that such active measures are only for adults capable of standing up to the fire. For us this is an option for those who can do it safely, and never a reason not to comply with an evacuation order.
8. Clothing: cotton covering as much skin as possible; if you have to go out — wet it with water (112 CV).
9. Stay in touch: the power may go off — radio, phone (112 CV). Without an evacuation order, leaving the house is not recommended (Protección Civil infographic).
10. Documents and valuables into the car, so you can leave at once if you have to (112 CV).

Evacuation

• Leave immediately if the police or rescue services tell you to — calmly and in an orderly way (112 CV). The route — the one indicated; it is worth knowing it in advance from the urbanización plan.
• No time to leave — tell the authorities where you are (112 CV) and move on to the confinamiento steps above.
• First — children, the elderly, people with breathing problems and with anxiety (Generalitat de Catalunya leaflet).
• From us: the 72-hour kit, documents and pets in a carrier go with you. This is our advice, not an official instruction.

In the car

Per 112 Comunitat Valenciana:

• Do not drive blind through thick smoke; switch on the headlights and the hazard lights.
• If you have to stop — look for a place where the ground is bare of vegetation, switch off the engine.
• Close the windows and the ventilation and lie on the car floor.
• If you need to get out — cover as much skin as possible with clothing.

On a car on foreign plates and insurance, see the guide on a foreign-plated car.

On foot, if the fire catches you outside

The Protección Civil infographic «En las proximidades de un incendio» and 112 CV:

• Report to 112 urgently. A very small fire that is just starting can be tackled, with your own safety always the priority.
• If the fire is more serious — move away in the direction opposite to the smoke. Breathe through your nose, covering it with a wet cloth — this is a technique for fleeing the fire, not protection from smoke (see the health section).
• Do not seek shelter in deep spots, and head downhill — that is the Protección Civil infographic's advice. The sources differ here: 112 CV, on the contrary, says that if the fire has surrounded you, take refuge in hollows or a stream bed, lying behind a large rock, a trunk or in a depression; the Catalan leaflet advises avoiding slopes and narrow valleys. There is no single rule — orient yourself by already burnt ground and the rescuers' instructions. Do not run uphill unless you know a safe place there; avoid raised water tanks — they heat up (112 CV).
• Do not try to cross the flames — you may end up trapped. If there is no other way out, cross where the front is weakest.
• If the fire is catching up with you — stand on already burnt ground with your back to the wind.
• Clothing on fire — do not run: drop and roll on the ground, cover yourself with a blanket if there is one.

Who to call: 112

112 is the single emergency number. In the Comunitat Valenciana the 112 centre does not dispatch services itself: it receives, coordinates and passes on the call. According to its page, help is given in Spanish, Valencian and «several languages»; the GVA press office names English, French and German.

Smoke: health per the Sanidad recommendations

In 2026 the Ministerio de Sanidad issued the first national «Recomendaciones sanitarias en situaciones de incendios forestales». The essentials:

• Stay indoors, if it is safe, and do not open the windows or ventilate with outside air. Close all the home's ventilation: chimneys, extractor hood, air vents. Keep the house cool, if possible in a room with air conditioning.
• Mask — FFP2 or N95, when indicated. Surgical masks and scarves are not reliable protection against smoke particles; FFP2 with activated carbon also protect against gases.
• Do not sweep or shake out dust — only damp cloths.
• Outdoors: do not stay in the open air and do not approach the fire zone (especially closer than 300 m); reduce physical exertion; cut unnecessary journeys; driving by day — switch on the headlights.
• Risk groups: the elderly, children, pregnant women, people with chronic illnesses.
• To urgencias — for difficulty breathing, a feeling of shortness of breath, chest pain, a racing pulse, burns. First aid for a burn per the Sanidad press release — cold running water for 20–30 minutes.

Pets and animals: what the official sources say

Honestly: we did not find an official step-by-step instruction on evacuating pets in a wildfire — not at Protección Civil, not at 112 Comunitat Valenciana, not in the Sanidad guide. What the official texts do contain:

• Generalitat de Catalunya leaflet: during confinamiento bring the whole family and the pets indoors.
• The Protección Civil Plan Familiar de Emergencias form contains a «datos de las mascotas» block: name, species and breed, colour, registration number.
• Ley 7/2023 (art. 21): civil protection plans must contain measures to protect animals.
• 112 Comunitat Valenciana reported in December 2021 that the AVSRE agency will develop an animal evacuation protocol for emergencies, including pets; we did not find a published text.

Our own tips, not official: carrier and lead — by the door, not in the storeroom; pet passport, vaccination card and chip number — in the 72-hour kit; a photo of the animal on your phone; water and food for several days. If you evacuate in your own car, the pet travels with you in a carrier. On the animal's documents, see the guide on relocating with a pet.

After: the first 7 days

1. 1

   Return only with the authorities' permission

   Ventilate when the authorities say the outside air is clean (Sanidad); photograph everything before cleaning up.

2. 2

   Notify your insurer

   Within 7 days of learning of the damage, or within the period in your policy (Ley 50/1980, art. 16); write down the claim number.

3. 3

   Ash, food, water

   Remove ash with a damp cloth, do not sweep; do not eat food that has been in smoke or ash; water — as directed by the health authorities.

4. 4

   Keep what was damaged and the receipts

   Remains of items until the perito visits; if impossible, photos; receipts for accommodation and urgent expenses — for inhabitabilidad cover.

5. 5

   No insurance: apply within a month

   Aid is set for each event separately, but the deadline does not wait for a decreto: the application under RD 307/2005 goes to the Delegación or Subdelegación del Gobierno within 1 month counted from the day after the event ended (art. 7.1).

Per Sanidad after the fire: ventilate the house only once the fire is under control and the authorities have confirmed the outdoor air quality; remove ash with a wet method; do not eat food that has been in smoke or ash; drink water as directed by the health authorities, avoiding sources outside the mains network; for psychological support go to your centro de salud.

Money: why the Consorcio does not pay and the insurer does

Consorcio: only injuries to those who fought the fire

The main difference from a flood — see the guide on floods and DANA: fire is not a riesgo extraordinario. The Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros list holds floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, atypical cyclonic storm and falling meteorites; the word «incendio» does not appear on the cover page. In its note on wildfires the Consorcio writes plainly: it insures bodily injury to people who took part in fighting the fire; all other damage, material and personal, is covered by private insurers, if there is a contract covering this risk. The same is stated in Ley 43/2003 (art. 49.1): through the Consorcio the state guarantees accident payouts exclusively to people who helped fight the fire. This insurance is compatible with any private policy and with any state aid.

Home insurance: what Ley 50/1980 says

The fire insurance contract is governed by Ley 50/1980 de Contrato de Seguro:

• Definition (art. 45): the insurer must compensate fire damage to the insured property; fire is combustion with flame, capable of spreading, of objects not intended to be burnt in that place and at that moment.
• What is included (art. 46): items in ordinary use by the insured, their family and the people living with them. Not included without a separate clause: securities, banknotes, precious stones and metals, works of art and other valuables.
• When they pay (art. 48): for a fire by accident, by the malice of third parties, by the insured's own negligence or that of those they are responsible for. They do not pay if the fire was caused by the intent or gross negligence of the insured themselves.
• What exactly (art. 49): direct damage from the fire and the unavoidable consequences of the fire, in particular damage from measures by the authorities or the insured to stop and extinguish the fire, the costs of removing items to save them, the value of items that disappeared — if it is proven they existed.

That is the legal framework. Whether a specific policy covers wildfire and with what limits is set by the policy itself — check the «incendio» section, the continente and contenido sums, and ask your insurer before the season. The insurers' association UNESPA (an industry source, not a government one) writes that multirriesgo home policies include cover for fire and smoke damage, the costs of extinguishing and the subsequent work: removal of items, clearing, replacement of destroyed official documents (escrituras, DNI); an inhabitabilidad clause — uninhabitability of the home — is possible, so keep your receipts. UNESPA also specifies: the authorities' decision itself on confinamiento or evacuation, which stopped activity, is not covered without direct material damage; for cars, fire is covered under a todo riesgo policy, in other cases — check the policy.

| Your situation | Where to look | | ----------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Owner with multirriesgo del hogar | the «incendio» section of the policy: continente, contenido, limits, inhabitabilidad | | Tenant with a contents policy | your belongings — under your policy; walls and fixtures — the owner's or the comunidad's policy | | Tenant without a policy | nobody pays for the belongings; the Consorcio does not pay for fire — it is not a riesgo extraordinario | | Car todo riesgo | fire is covered (UNESPA) | | Car terceros only | check the policy (UNESPA) | | Helped fight the fire and were hurt | the Consorcio as accident insurer in wildfires (Ley 43/2003, art. 49.1) |

Deadlines and duties

• Report the damage — within 7 days of the moment you learned of it, unless the policy gives a longer period (Ley 50/1980, art. 16); in case of breach the insurer may claim the losses caused by the delay. UNESPA writes that there is no rush: you can report once the fire is out and access to the house is safe. We advise sticking to the law — 7 days or the period in the policy — and, to be safe, warning the insurer at least with a short message.
• Reduce the damage (art. 17): the insured must take reasonable steps to save the items; the insurer bears the cost of this within the limits of the contract.
• Minimum advance (art. 18): within 40 days of receiving the claim the insurer must pay the minimum sum it definitely owes.

No insurance: state aid

An uninsured person has no direct right to compensation. Ley 17/2015 says all residents of Spain are entitled to assistance from the authorities in a disaster (art. 5.1), and that recovery measures are aid, not compensation (art. 20.3). At the same time, art. 21.1 requires the material damage to relate to property «having public or private insurance cover», and the aid is compatible with insurance payouts but together with them may not exceed the value of the damage (art. 21.2). What actually exists:

• A «zona afectada gravemente» declaration. The Consejo de Ministros may declare an area affected (art. 23) and approve the measures in art. 24.1: aid to private individuals for the vivienda habitual and essential household goods, aid to businesses, for damage in agriculture, livestock and forestry, preferential loans and ICO guarantees. The wording is «se podrán» — the package differs every time, sums and conditions are approved for the specific event, so we do not give them here.
• The general RD 307/2005 line. Aid for the vivienda habitual — the place of the family's actual, permanent and continuous residence (art. 15); for total destruction or structural damage the household must include an owner or usufructuario; for lesser damage — whoever by their title of possession is obliged to bear its cost (on our reading this may include a tenant — check). Income test based on the IPREM (art. 16). The application goes to the province's Delegación or Subdelegación del Gobierno within 1 month counted from the day after the event ended (art. 7.1) — do not wait for a zona afectada decreto, the clock runs from the fire itself.
• The 2026 example, in one line. Real Decreto-ley 20/2026 introduced measures for workers affected by evacuations, confinamientos or access restrictions: suspension of the contract with a special benefit, a free notary consultation to restore destroyed documents, free property-register certificates. It applies to wildfires that triggered civil-protection measures, from 22 July 2026 until the end of the 2026 high-danger campaign (art. 1.1 and the transitional provision); for a later event, look up the current measures in the BOE.

Lost documents

• Driving licence and car documents. After a «zona afectada gravemente» declaration the Consejo de Ministros may waive DGT fees for deregistering a car and for duplicates of the permiso de circulación and the driving licence destroyed by the disaster (Ley 17/2015, art. 24.2.a.5º) — only if that measure is adopted.
• TIE, NIE, passport. We did not find fee waivers for these documents after a fire in the law. The TIE duplicate procedure (form EX17, fee 790/012) is described in the guide on floods and DANA — it is the same.
• The policy may pay for replacing documents. UNESPA: home policies often cover «reposición de documentos públicos» — escrituras, DNI. Check yours.
• Padrón. The register entry does not disappear: a new certificado is requested from the ayuntamiento — see the guide on empadronamiento.

What we could not confirm

• 112 in Ukrainian — no official page says the 2022 service is running now.
• ES-Alert in Ukrainian — not promised; and no official confirmation that ES-Alert is sent for every confinamiento.
• Pet evacuation — no official step-by-step rules found; the Valencian protocol was announced, no published text found.
• Width of the protective strip and the exact Valencian rules — the text of Decreto 91/2023 is available to us only through a secondary mirror, and the 112 CV page is dated 2022; so we do not name the strip width or the ban dates.
• Whether every home policy covers wildfire — depends on the policy; we found no official regulator page on fires.
• Deadline for notifying the insurer — the law says 7 days, UNESPA says there is no rush; we advise the law.
• State aid for foreigners and temporary-protection beneficiaries — the law is silent; we did not resolve the contradiction between art. 21.1 of Ley 17/2015 and the subsidiary nature of the aid.
• Penalties for refusing to evacuate and the regional fine amounts for fire (Comunitat Valenciana) — not checked.

Common mistakes

• Driving out through the smoke on your own «before it's too late». The usual measure is confinamiento; evacuation on order or when the authorities have confirmed a safe route.
• Staying to hose the roof when ordered to leave. The hose is an option for those who can do it safely; an evacuation order is a duty.
• A wet scarf «against smoke». That is a technique for fleeing fire; FFP2 protects against smoke particles.
• Burning branches and leaves in summer or on a windy day. In the Comunitat Valenciana burning garden waste is not permitted; on a level 3 day any fire is banned; the fine is leve, from 100 to 1,000 € without damage, and for breaching the ban on a muy alto or extremo day grave, from 1,001 to 100,000 €.
• Waiting for a Consorcio payout for a burnt-down house. The Consorcio pays only for injuries to those who fought the fire; for the house — your policy.
• Renting a house in the forest without a contents policy. No policy — nobody pays for the belongings.
• Throwing out burnt items before the perito and delaying the notification. Remains are kept until the visit; the insurer — within 7 days.
• Returning home before the authorities allow it. They check the air and the structures, not you.

This article is for reference and describes the general rules; regional fire bans are updated every season, and aid measures after a specific fire are approved by separate decretos and differ every time — check proteccioncivil.es (ES-Alert, self-protection), 112cv.gva.es (Comunitat Valenciana), your autonomía's website (fire rules), consorseguros.es and the BOE. Facts were checked against these sources on 3 October 2026. If you need a Russian- or Ukrainian-speaking lawyer or gestor — see our verified directory.