A rapidly spreading wildfire in Spain’s eastern province of Castellón has grown beyond current firefighting capacity, according to the Valencian regional government, prompting widespread evacuations and confinement orders affecting more than 64,000 people.

Authorities have ordered all residents of Onda, a town of more than 26,000 people in the Plana Baja region, to remain indoors due to heavy smoke from the Vall d’Uixó wildfire. The emergency alert was issued through Spain’s Es-Alert system.

Onda joins the neighbouring municipalities of Vall d’Uixó and Bechí, where similar confinement measures are already in place. Residents have been instructed to stay inside their homes with doors and windows closed, switch off ventilation systems, and avoid using air conditioning until further notice.

More than 18,000 people have been evacuated as the wildfire continues to spread. By Sunday afternoon, the blaze had already consumed over 6,400 hectares of land, with a burned perimeter stretching approximately 41 kilometres.

Regional officials said the fire has reached a scale comparable to the initial stages of the devastating Tenerife wildfire of 2023. The affected area extends roughly the same straight-line distance as the route between Alicante and Benidorm.

The wildfire has also caused significant transport disruption. Authorities closed the V-15 highway leading into Valencia.

Additional Firefighting Resources Deployed

Spain’s Emergency Coordination Centre (112) announced that around 30 aerial firefighting units are expected to join ground crews on Monday in an effort to contain the rapidly advancing blaze.

Emergency services continue to monitor weather conditions closely, with firefighting operations focused on preventing further expansion of the wildfire and protecting nearby communities.