Second day of maximum fire alert in Catalonia: record breaking temperatures across the territory and three signficant wildfires burning. More than 400 firefighters are currently working to control and extinguish different fires across Catalonia, with the efforts focused on the three major fires that have been burning since yesterday afternoon in western Catalonia - one in Artesa de Segre (La Noguera county) and a second in Castellar de la Ribera (Solsonès county) - and in the south, in Corbera d'Ebre (Terra Alta county). While major operations are underway to combat these fires, the conditions - with temperatures exceeding 40C in the interior, and "dry" electrical storms causing thousands of lightning strikes on Wednesday afternoon - mean that other fires are popping up across the country and requiring immediate action.
This Thursday afternoon, a decisive battle against the flames is being fought in the Castellar de la Ribera blaze. Catalan government firefighters are trying to contain the flames which could burn tens of thousands of hectares if they don't succeed. Currently, the fire has burned 323 hectares, according to provisional data from the Rural Agents. The firefighters' aim is to stabilize the entire affected area before 10pm this Thursday, and all their efforts are being focused on confining this forest fire, which originated near the church of Santa Magdalena de les Tàpies and jumped the highway. There is one primary focus of the flames and a dozen secondary ones caused, it is thought, by lightning.
28 terrestrial units
These fires may grow, due to the ferocious heat wave forecast to continue for the rest of the week and, in the worst case, the possibility of further dry storms - in which lightning strikes take place without rain necessarily falling. Of the three major active fires in Catalonia, the Solsonès is the highest priority thisThursday for the emergency services. This fire started on Wednesday, and since the early hours of this Thursday, there have been 28 terrestrial fire units involved in the battle along with four helicopters and two surveillance and attack aircraft. The causes of the fire are not yet clear, but the main hypothesis of the Rural Agents is that of lightning.
Catalan interior minister Joan Ignasi Elena explained this morning that all the operations are still active, but especially in the Solsonès, as critical hours are approaching due to the high temperatures. "There are many flare-ups and we have to prevent it from becoming a major fire,” says the minister.
Fires in Corbera d'Ebre and Artesa de Segre
Regarding the other western Catalonia fire, that of Artesa de Segre (Noguera), a total of 1,001 hectares have been affected, of which 866.21 are forest land and the other 134.7, agricultural. According to the head of the Catalan fire service, David Borrell, this fire is in processes of being confined, so that it could continue to burn in a limited area that, nevertheless, might reach 5,000 hectares. A municipal sports pavilion with 100 beds provided by the Red Cross and a hostel with capacity for 8 rooms have been enabled to accommodate those evacuated from several isolated houses, among them the Cal Petit centre for unaccompanied migrant youths.
Meanwhile the blaze in southern Catalonia, at Corbera d’Ebre (Terra Alta county), is still active, but firefighters have been able to surround it and are working on stabilizing it. The fire has affected a perimeter of about 400 hectares, with a precise calculation still pending of the area that has actually been burned.
