More than 1,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in Zaragoza, Spain, after a wildfire expected to be the worst Spain has experienced this year broke out last week15:01, 19 Jul 2026Zaragoza wildfireTerrifying new footage capturing a wildfire that ignited in a holiday hotspot shows the sheer size of the towering inferno which has forced 1,000 people to flee their homes and ripped through an area the size of Manchester.‌The Zaragoza wildfire tearing through the northern Spanish community in Aragon has eaten through nearly 16,000 hectares since igniting on Wednesday. The initially small blaze has been declared one of the most destructive forest fires of the year in Spain, and has forced the evacuations of more than 1,000 people, and remains "far from being stabilised" authorities said in a recent statement.‌Shocking new drone footage has captured the cacophany of flames from above while tearing through the historic and picturesque Cinco Villas area.‌The footage, from Spain's Guardia Civil - Civil Guard - shows yellow flames illuminating massive pillars of smoke emanating from the ground at nighttime. As the drone circles the scene, the wildfires orange borders can be seen stretching miles into the distance, while spreading at an estimated rate of around 60 metres per minute.Down on the ground amongst the apocalyptic scenes are around 400 emergency responders, backed by 19 aircrafts which have tackled the flames for days on end.‌Emergency services believe the fire could take several days to fully contain, with humidity trending downwards and winds pushing the blaze further west. People living in the Malpica de Arba, Orés, Asín, Luesia and Uncastillo areas - where homes have been damaged by the flames - have been ordered to leave their homes.Others in nearby Uncastillo have received an ES-Alert, Spain's nationwide emergency warning. Roberto Bermúdez de Castro, Aragón's regional minister for finance, the interior and public administration, said the fire has reached a "critical and complex stage" thanks to unpredictable weather conditions.‌He said: "We had a very difficult night, with erratic winds. We've made significant progress thanks to the efforts of every authority and all the teams deployed, but there's still a huge amount of work ahead." He added: "We've got to remain vigilant, take the greatest possible care and keep activity in forest areas to an absolute minimum."This is likely to become one of the biggest and most complex wildfires the region has faced in recent years. It'll take days to bring under control and many more days to extinguish."‌De Castro said the local administration's "absolute priority" is to protect residents in the fire's path. He added: "Our absolute priority remains protecting people."That's why Orés, Asín, Luesia and Malpica de Arba were evacuated, elderly care home residents were moved and we're maintaining all the resources needed to support those affected and guarantee their safety." Residents evacuated from their communities have been sent to stay with relatives, or housed at a sports centre in Ejea de los Caballeros, which currently holds around 80 people.An additional 54 people, residents of care homes from affected municipalities, have been moved to other facilities in Zaragoza. Those moved from their homes have been provided with psychological support from the Red Cross, Aragon Institute of Social Services and the regional emergency psychological intervention team.Article continues belowPedro Sánchez, Spain's Prime Minister, said his government as mobilised "all the necessary resources to deal with the emergency" and urged "extreme caution" from the public.