What to do if there is a wildfire nearby

A wildfire can change direction and speed within minutes. This guide sums up the general civil-protection advice for staying safe in Spain. Instructions from the authorities and the emergency services always override any general advice.

1. If you see smoke or fire: call 112

• Call 112 even if you think someone has already reported it. Say where you are, what you can see (smoke, flames, which way it is moving) and whether there are people or houses nearby.
• Do not try to put it out yourself unless the fire is very small, has only just started and poses no risk to you.
• Do not go closer to watch or take photos, and do not block tracks or roads: the firefighting crews need them.

2. If the fire catches you in the countryside

• Move away in the opposite direction to the fire and the smoke, across open ground.
• Avoid going uphill or through gullies and dense vegetation: fire travels much faster uphill.
• Look for places with no fuel: already-burnt ground, wide tracks, ploughed fields, roads or water.
• Protect your airways with a damp cloth and cover exposed skin with cotton clothing.

3. If you are driving

• Do not drive on roads affected by smoke or closed to traffic. Check the DGT traffic information and follow the instructions of officers on the ground.
• If smoke stops you seeing, pull over in a clear area away from vegetation and keep your lights on.
• Close the windows and switch off outside ventilation. Staying inside the vehicle is safer than getting out and walking through the flames.

4. If you are at home and the fire is approaching

• Follow official information and keep your phone charged. Prepare a bag with documents, medication, water, a torch and a charger.
• Close doors, windows and blinds. Turn off the gas supply and move flammable items (firewood, gas bottles, garden furniture) away from the outside of the house.
• If you are told to shelter in place, stay indoors, seal gaps with damp towels and keep away from windows.
• If you are told to evacuate, do it immediately by the route you are given. Do not go back for belongings, and help elderly neighbours or people with reduced mobility if you can. Take your pets with you.

5. When there is smoke even though the fire is far away

• Stay indoors with the windows closed and reduce physical activity, especially if you have respiratory or heart problems, are pregnant, or for children and older people.
• FFP2 masks help filter particles; surgical or cloth masks offer little protection against smoke.
• If you have trouble breathing or chest pain, call 112.

6. Prevention is the best protection

• Never light a fire in the countryside and do not burn agricultural waste without a permit; respect the high-risk season restrictions of your autonomous community.
• Do not throw away cigarette ends or rubbish. Glass and plastic can start fires too.
• On days with high or greater fire danger, avoid any work with machinery that can throw sparks near dry vegetation.
• If you live in a wildland-urban interface area, keep the surroundings of the house clear of brush, as your regional rules require.

7. Where to get information

Official information about each fire, evacuations and road closures is published by the emergency services of each autonomous community, by 112 and by the DGT. On incendiohoy.es you can see the hotspots detected by satellite and check whether there are fires near you, but remember these are indicative data that can arrive with a delay.

Frequently asked questions

Should I call 112 if the fire is already in the news or on the map?

If you can see smoke or flames somewhere with no crews apparently working, call: your location and what you can see may be useful. If it is a known fire and nothing has changed in your area, do not tie up the line and follow the official channels instead.

What is the difference between sheltering in place and evacuation?

When you are told to shelter in place, you stay inside a building with doors and windows closed, because leaving would be more dangerous. In an evacuation you are asked to leave the area by a specific route. The authorities make that call based on how the fire is developing.

When can I go home?

Only when the authorities allow it. Even after the fire front has passed there can be flare-ups, unstable trees and poles, fallen cables and trapped smoke.

Updated: September 14, 2026 · incendiohoy.es