Catalan and French firefighters are trying, Saturday, August 5, to control a fire on the Spanish Mediterranean coast near the border. The fire progresses because of the wind, and led to the night evacuation of more than 130 people.
At 9 a.m., some 435 hectares were affected, according to provisional data from Catalan forest rangers, who said they were investigating the causes of this fire in a message published on X (formerly Twitter). More than 2,500 hectares are threatened, according to firefighters. Fire “stay active” and the priority is to contain its progress towards the south, to prevent it from reaching the municipality of Llançà, they said in a press release published on the Catalan government website.
The fire progressed rapidly on Friday evening, due to strong winds, which prevented water bombers from taking part in the operations, and a hilly topography which made it difficult to access the flames. Catalan firefighters informed Saturday morning on X (ex-Twitter), that aerial operations could begin during the day, thanks to a lull in the Tramontana, after helicopter spotting.
Around 135 people were evacuated overnight, according to firefighters, while several hundred others were confined to villages or campsites which welcome thousands of tourists every summer. Due to the fire located in the Spanish locality bordering France with an important station, “Catalonia firefighters have ordered [vendredi] the confinement of the municipality of Colera, the area of La Rovellada and the campsite of Sant Miquel”said the civil protection of the Catalan region.
French firefighters mobilized
According to the latter, more than 4,000 people are without electricity in this area and “rail traffic remains stopped” between Portbou and the town of Figueres, located about thirty kilometers further south. The national road leading to Portbou and the border is also closed. Catalan Red Cross volunteers are taking part in support operations for the population, and welcoming people who have not been able to return to their homes.
About 80 units of Spanish firefighters are mobilized, as well as a dozen French fire trucks from the department of Pyrénées-Orientales, bordering the area of the fire.
In 2022, nearly 500 fires devoured more than 300,000 hectares in Spain, a record in Europe, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (Effis). This year, the number of hectares burned is around 70,000 hectares, according to the same source.