Fires in Europe, hell between France and Spain: thousands of hectares in flames and evacuations

Pyrenees Orientales fire spreads

The fire in Trevillach, which broke out yesterday evening in a difficult-to-access area near Mount Canigou, in the Pyrenees-Orientales, has “regained strength”, declared the prefect of the Pyrenees-Orientales Pierre Regnault de la Mothe, explaining that “it is a fire front of around 18 kilometres, which requires the use of huge land and air resources” and underlining that “the fire has regained strength on the right and left flanks”.

Overall, 700 firefighters are involved in the operations, supported by 200 vehicles and nine aircraft. The prefect added that around 80 people in the area had been evacuated and that residents of several villages had been asked to self-isolate.

Conditions are becoming more difficult as the wind sets and the intense heat is felt. The fire is intensifying, we will have to continue fighting”, declared Colonel Stéphane Clerc. The fire, whose intensity had temporarily reduced, “gained strength again under the effect of the north wind”, underlined the prefecture.

Fire put out in Costa Brava

The fire that broke out on Friday near the tourist resort of the Costa Brava, in north-eastern Spain, and which burned over two thousand hectares was stabilized this morning. This was announced by the firefighters, who expect a “complicated day” for today, especially due to the new heat wave that is affecting Spain. According to the latest data provided by forestry agents, 2,200 hectares have gone up in smoke and almost 97% of the affected area is located within the protected natural area of ​​Gavarres.

“Firefighters expect a difficult day due to the high temperatures and numerous columns of smoke present around the perimeter of the fire,” the Catalan firefighters wrote in a statement. “The fire has a very discontinuous perimeter, with several islands of unburned vegetation within the affected area, which generates numerous fumaroles and requires detailed monitoring of the entire perimeter to prevent any re-ignition,” they explained. “We worked tirelessly all night to consolidate the perimeter of the La Bisbal d’Empordà forest fire, which is now under control,” they added.

The fire broke out on Friday morning near Girona, about twenty kilometers from the Mediterranean coast. “If the situation continues to improve,” firefighters said, lockdowns in a dozen municipalities could be lifted and residents could return to their homes. According to what the authorities reported, the fire was probably caused by “negligence”. According to Spanish media, it could be a worker from a construction company who used an angle grinder in a prohibited area. On Saturday evening, the president of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, confirmed the arrest of one person, but would not provide further details.

At the forefront of the fight against climate change in Europe, Spain experienced “the worst fires in its recent history” last summer, as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez recalled in May. Last year, 393,000 hectares were devastated by flames in Spain, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (Effis).