Extremadura organizes extraordinary aid for the forest fires of the summer of 2026

The Regional Government of Extremadura has established an extraordinary regime of direct aid to repair the damage caused by the forest fires of the summer of 2026 in Las Hurdes, Casas de Millán, Jerez de los Caballeros, and Montemolín. Decree-law 5/2026, of September 1, is published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) no. 261, of October 21, 2026, section I, pages 140311 et seq. (official reference BOE-A-2026-21876). The regulation reaches the state gazette following its validation by the Assembly of Extremadura.

The text, signed by President María Guardiola Martín and by the Vice President and Councilor for the Presidency, Coordination of Government Action, Interior and Emergencies, Abel Bautista Morán, is structured into 40 articles divided into seven chapters, three additional provisions, two final provisions, and four annexes. It was published in the Official Gazette of Extremadura (DOE) no. 174, of September 9, 2026, and was validated by the Resolution of October 8, 2026, of the Presidency of the Assembly of Extremadura, published in DOE no. 197, of October 13, 2026.

Annex I delimits the four fires that trigger the aid, with data from the Forest Fire Prevention and Extinction Service of the Autonomous Community of Extremadura (INFOEX):

• Montemolín: 607.73 hectares, started on June 1, 2026, affecting Fuente de Cantos.
• Jerez de los Caballeros: 541.05 hectares, since July 6, 2026.
• Casas de Millán: 1,163.29 hectares, since August 1, 2026, affecting Cañaveral and Mirabel.
• Pinofranqueado: 3,715.46 hectares, since August 28, 2026, extending to Casares de las Hurdes, Nuñomoral, and Caminomorisco.

3,000 euros per hectare of crop and 700 euros per livestock unit

Agricultural holdings registered in the Agricultural Holdings Registry of Extremadura (REA) will receive 3,000 euros per hectare of affected permanent crop, with special attention to cherry, olive, and chestnut trees intended for fruit. No subsidy will be granted when the resulting amount is less than 300 euros, and the chapter is funded with 600,000 euros.

In the livestock sector, the aid is set at 700 euros per Livestock Unit for bovine, ovine, caprine, equine, and porcine, while beekeeping holdings receive 100 euros per hive, excluding non-professional or self-consumption hives. The procedure is initiated ex officio by the Regional Government of Extremadura, with the publication of the provisional list of beneficiaries within ten business days and a resolution within a maximum period of two months.

Tourism: up to 3,000 euros per establishment and a multiplier of 2.5

Chapter IV reserves 250,000 euros for tourism companies in Grimaldo, Casas de Millán, and the region of Las Hurdes, with amounts ranging from 1,200 to 3,000 euros depending on the type and capacity of the establishment. The aid is multiplied by 2.5 when the business is located in nuclei affected by lockdown or evacuation, including Nuñomoral (locked down) and the evacuated towns of Aceitunilla, Cerezal, Martilandrán, El Gasco, Asegur, La Fragosa, Aldehuela, Horcajo, Castillo, El Robledo, Avellanar, Erías, Grimaldo, and Casas de Millán.

Housing: up to 130,000 euros and rent of 300 euros per month

Owners and usufructuaries of damaged homes may obtain 80% of the replacement value in case of ruin, up to a maximum of 130,000 euros, or 80% of the rehabilitation cost, with a ceiling of 120,000 euros. Up to 14,000 euros are added for household goods in ruined homes, 7,000 euros in other cases, and a rental allowance of 300 euros per month during the works. The application period is six months and the chapter has 500,000 euros, with an advance payment of 75%.

Tax bonuses and reform of the Agrarian Law

The regulation provides a 100% bonus on the Hunting Resource Tax quota for the 2027/2028 season and various hunting and livestock fees accrued until December 31, 2027. Additionally, it modifies Law 6/2015, of March 24, the Agrarian Law of Extremadura, to expand the concept of productive preventive infrastructure, streamline the exchange of landlocked parcels in Public Utility Forests, and eliminate the certification required for abandoned terraces. The decree-law itself estimates the weight of the Extremaduran hunting sector at more than 70,000 licenses, 3.4 million hectares, and approximately 400 million euros annually.

The impact of the measure is direct for thousands of farms and families in regions that depend on the countryside, the forest, and rural tourism, and it arrives with an administrative mechanism that shifts the burden of ex officio processing to the Administration. The regulation also introduces structural changes in fire prevention that will be applied beyond this summer’s emergency.

Source: Official State Gazette, no. 261, of October 21, 2026, section I, page 140311 (official reference: BOE-A-2026-21876).