Cantabria prohibits fire and pyrotechnics if AEMET declares…

The General Directorate of Forests and Biodiversity of the Government of Cantabria has established, by means of a resolution, the activities that are prohibited or suspended when AEMET declares a daily forest fire danger level of very high or extreme. The measure is published in the Official Gazette of Cantabria (BOC) No. 206, of October 27, 2026, with official reference CVE-2026-8333, and takes effect from the day following its publication, that is, from October 28.

The framework: a legal obligation and a daily meteorological reference

The resolution develops article 48.6 of Law 43/2003, of November 21, on Forests, which requires autonomous communities to adopt prohibitions and limitations when a very high or extreme level of fire danger is predictable. In Cantabria, the reference standard remained Order DES/44/2007, of August 8, on the use of fire and preventive measures, which the new resolution does not repeal but does specify for high risk levels.

The text is based on the powers of article six, point 3, of Decree 54/2023, of July 20, on the basic organic structure of the departments, and the resolution is signed by the Director General of Forests and Biodiversity, Ángel Serdio Cosío, in Santander, on October 19, 2026. The meteorological reference is the level published daily by AEMET on its fire prediction page: the level of the current day and the corresponding territorial area applies, while forecasts for subsequent days are for informational purposes only and serve for preventive planning.

The resolution replaces the one published on June 19, 2026 (CVE-2026-5004), which is now void. Furthermore, the change comes in the midst of the processing of the future order that will regulate the use of fire and risk-generating activities, for which the prior public consultation opened on October 15 (CVE-2026-7983).

What is prohibited with a very high or extreme level

When the daily danger level is very high or extreme in an area, the following activities are generally prohibited or suspended:

Lighting fires in open spaces of a rural or developable nature.
Carrying out any type of burning.
Lighting fires in the rest areas of the road network.
Lighting fires in recreational and camping areas, including designated facilities, when located on rural or developable land.
Introducing or using pyrotechnic material.
Throwing or abandoning combustion objects or materials capable of originating a fire.

Only the Forest Fire Prevention and Fighting Operation may carry out burnings for prevention or training purposes, and only with appropriate means and express authorization from the General Directorate of Forests and Biodiversity.

Machinery, construction, and agricultural work: the 15 km/h limit

At very high or extreme levels, the use of machinery or equipment that generates or may generate deflagrations, sparks, or electrical discharges is prohibited, with express mention of blowtorches, welding equipment, and grinders. The regulation exempts three scenarios:

Uses expressly authorized by the Administration for those danger levels.
Emergency actions or actions of general interest indispensable for the urgent repair of public infrastructure or essential services, including electricity and gas supplies and telecommunications.
Maintenance or construction work on public infrastructure and services, and agricultural, livestock, and forestry work by individuals or companies in the sector, when the machine can only generate sparks occasionally, the wind speed does not exceed 15 km/h, and preventive measures are applied.

In all exempted cases, serviced and clean machinery, sufficient personnel, and extinguishing means to stop any outbreak are required, as well as the interruption of activity if the wind increases or control capacity decreases, and immediate attention to the instructions of the Natural Environment Agents. For the remaining danger levels, the use of machinery is understood to be authorized under the measures of the resolution itself and article 3.b) of Order DES/44/2007.

Authorizations, surveillance, and resources

The natural or legal person interested in carrying out an affected activity may request authorization from the General Directorate of Forests and Biodiversity; the resolution shall be reasoned and based on a specific evaluation of danger, vulnerability, and risk, with technical, temporal, or territorial conditions that will lapse if circumstances worsen. Natural Environment Agents may order the immediate suspension of any activity due to inadmissible risk, with an inspection report communicated to the governing body. If extraordinary circumstances occur or INFOCANT is activated, complementary mandatory measures may be imposed. An administrative appeal may be filed against the resolution before the Ministry of Rural Development, Livestock, Fisheries, and Food within one month.

A regime that reaches farmers, construction, and visitors

The resolution fully affects those who work and travel through the Cantabrian rural environment: agricultural and livestock farms, forestry companies, public works contractors, and those who camp or visit recreational areas. With an autumn in which meteorological risk continues to modulate activity, the regulation shifts the decision to stop machinery or light a fire to each individual day and makes the legality of an activity dependent on data published daily by AEMET.

Source: Official Gazette of Cantabria, no. 206, of October 27, 2026, section 7.5, page 55130 (official reference: CVE-2026-8333).