The Government Council of the Junta de Andalucía has decided, at the proposal of the ministries of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development and Sustainability and the Environment, to declare a natural disaster affecting the agricultural and forestry productive potential the fire that started on August 6, 2026, in the province of Huelva, which subsequently spread to the province of Sevilla.
According to the Junta in a statement, this declaration is adopted as a preliminary step to activate various urgent actions and measures that guarantee the socioeconomic survival and future viability of the affected regions in Huelva and Sevilla.
In this framework, both ministries are entrusted with implementing measures to relax the management of the aid applicable to the holders of the farms affected by the fire. This institutional recognition is considered "crucial" to immediately allow the relaxation in the granting and justification of the aid, such as those from Feaga and Feader, "preventing the affected holders from losing essential funds or being penalized for failing to meet technical requirements due to a force majeure cause."
In the province of Huelva, the municipalities of Berrocal, El Campillo, Niebla, Escacena del Campo, La Palma del Condado, Paterna del Campo, Valverde del Camino, Villalba del Alcor, Villarrasa, and Zalamea la Real have been damaged; while in the province of Sevilla, the affected municipality has been Aznalcóllar.
The Andalusian Administration emphasizes that this fire has represented an emergency "of extraordinary magnitude and complexity," both due to the area affected and the extreme conditions under which the firefighting work was carried out. The fire reached the mentioned municipalities, with a perimeter close to 210 kilometers, and a definitive measurement, prepared through the European program Copernicus, estimates the burned area at around 33,000 hectares.
The disaster has devastated large forest areas made up of pine forests and critical areas of dehesa and Mediterranean mountain "of high ecological value." The destruction of the timber potential is also confirmed and, in a "very severe" manner, a "drastic" loss in the production of cork and acorn in the public and private mountains of the area --with special incidence in Berrocal-- as well as eucalyptus plantations in exploitation, both in use and abandoned.
The disappearance of the vegetation layer also leaves the soils unprotected against "imminent" erosion in the face of the upcoming autumn rains, making emergency hydrotechnical works "indispensable" to safeguard the river basins. At the same time, wildlife has suffered "unprecedented" habitat fragmentation.
The big and small game reserves in the affected municipalities show an "absolute" loss of shelter, bedding, and food, "causing high direct mortality and the forced displacement of populations." In total, 34 reserves have been affected; 27 located in the province of Huelva and seven in Sevilla.
Impact on extensive livestock farming and the beekeeping sector
In the agricultural field, the damage is concentrated mainly on extensive livestock farming. The fire has caused direct agricultural harm by eliminating or reducing the herbaceous and shrubby cover that serves as food for livestock and has "compromised" the acorn campaign for Iberian pigs, as well as the availability of shade for the animals.
The fire has also generated extraordinary costs for the evacuation and emergency feeding of animals and hives. It is known that 38 cattle and equine farms have been affected, in addition to farms of small ruminants and pigs. The beekeeping sector in the area also faces a "very unfavorable" scenario due to the direct burning of hive settlements and the practical disappearance of the meliferous floral and shrubby support.
The Junta emphasizes that the impact is "of such magnitude" that "viable solutions must be sought for the relocation of hives in those green islands or areas that have not been affected, whenever possible." Likewise, the road communication network presents structural damage, with water crossings, ditches, and dirt roads deteriorated and partially impassable.
There have also been recorded damages resulting from the opening of firebreaks, the cutting or removal of fences, and damage to livestock facilities and enclosures. Finally, the loss of forest-agricultural productive potential and the destruction of essential ecosystem services --such as the regulation of the water cycle and carbon fixation-- make public intervention "immediate" necessary.