Castile and León records 400 forest fires in 2026: León, the province most affected by intentional fire.

The autonomous community of Castile and León has recorded nearly 400 forest fires so far in 2026, resulting in the charring of 1,261 hectares. Although the total number of hectares burned has not yet reached catastrophic levels, this figure could already be equivalent to two major fires, those exceeding 500 hectares. A particularly worrying fact is that almost half of these incidents, 43%, were concentrated in the province of León, traditionally the most affected by fire. Furthermore, 80% of the affected surface area is attributed to fires intentionally set. Defying the common perception that winter and spring months are free from fire risks, the Junta of Castile and León has intensified its efforts in prevention and forest clearing, as well as in firefighting. A recent example is the fire that occurred in Busdongo de Arbás (León), within the Alto Bernesga Reserve, which consumed approximately 170 hectares of scrubland, becoming the largest fire so far this year. The authorities ...