A large fire broke out at the Chazar recycling plant in La Puebla de Alfindén. Thick smoke was visible for kilometers. Firefighters from Zaragoza and the provincial brigade responded. No serious injuries have been reported so far.
Thick black smoke rose over La Puebla de Alfindén on Thursday evening after a fire broke out at the Chazar recycling plant. The plume was visible from the A-2 motorway and quickly drew attention from residents across the lower Ebro valley. The incident happened just a day after another fire at the Urbaser plant in Zaragoza’s López Soriano Technological Recycling Park, raising new questions about fire safety at waste facilities in the region.
Firefighters from Zaragoza and the Provincial Fire Brigade, including a team from La Almunia de Doña Godina, arrived at the Chazar site around 17:30. They brought a heavy water tanker, a mixed heavy engine, and a five-person crew to fight the flames. The fire spread quickly through piles of cardboard and paper stored on site, making it harder to control. Local media reported that the dense smoke and size of the fire required several firefighting units and heavy equipment, as confirmed by HERALDO.
HERALDO
Authorities said there were no reports of serious injuries. Pilar Villanueva, mayor of La Puebla de Alfindén, described a chaotic scene with fire trucks moving in and out and thick smoke covering the area. The quick response from emergency teams helped prevent greater harm, but the fire left many residents uneasy, especially given how close the plant is to homes and major roads. HERALDO noted that the large amount of combustible material on site made the fire especially difficult to contain.
This is not the first time Chazar has dealt with a major fire. In April 2024, another blaze damaged wood and scrap metal storage areas, sending smoke visible from nearby towns. The repeated incidents at recycling and waste plants are drawing attention to safety gaps and the need for stricter protocols. Similar problems have been reported elsewhere in Spain, such as during the Ceuta wildfire response, where emergency crews faced fast-moving fires fueled by combustible materials.
For people living and working nearby, the impact was immediate. Smoke disrupted visibility on the A-2, the main road between Zaragoza and Barcelona, and warnings were issued for those in the area. While the fire was contained without loss of life, the frequency of such incidents at recycling plants is now hard to ignore. The pattern points to ongoing problems with fire prevention and risk management in Spain’s waste sector. Unless operators and regulators take concrete steps to address these issues, the risk of another major fire remains for communities near these facilities.
