The wildfire emergency continues along the France–Spain border. In the Eastern Pyrenees, a large blaze in the Trevillach area has regained strength, driven by wind and high temperatures, and has destroyed about 1,500 hectares of vegetation. More than 700 firefighters are engaged in suppression efforts and dozens of people have been evacuated. In Catalonia, the major fire on the Costa Brava has been brought under control after burning over 2,200 hectares, but authorities warn the risk remains high because of a new heatwave.
Fire spreads in the Eastern Pyrenees
The fire at Trevillach, which broke out last night in a hard-to-reach area near Mont Canigou in the Eastern Pyrenees, has “regained strength,” said the prefect of the Eastern Pyrenees, Pierre Regnault de la Mothe. He said the blaze now forms a fire front of about 18 kilometres, requiring substantial ground and aerial resources, and stressed that the fire has intensified on both its right and left flanks.
In total, 700 firefighters are involved in the operations, supported by around 200 vehicles and nine aircraft. The prefect added that about 80 people in the area have been evacuated and that residents of several villages have been asked to self-isolate.
Conditions are becoming more difficult due to strengthening tramontane winds and rising heat. “The fire is intensifying; we will have to continue fighting it,” said Colonel Stéphane Clerc. The prefecture noted that the blaze, whose intensity had temporarily decreased, “regained vigor under the effect of the tramontane wind.”
Blaze contained in Costa Brava
This morning the fire that started on Friday near the Costa Brava tourist area in northeastern Spain was stabilized; it had burned more than two thousand hectares, authorities said. Firefighters warned of a “complicated day” ahead, mainly because of the new heatwave affecting Spain. According to the latest data from forest officers, 2,200 hectares have burned and nearly 97% of the affected area lies within the Gavarres protected natural area.
“Firefighters expect a difficult day due to high temperatures and the numerous smoke columns around the fire perimeter,” the Catalan fire service said in a statement. “The fire has a very discontinuous perimeter, with several islands of unburned vegetation inside the affected area, generating numerous smoldering spots and requiring detailed monitoring of the entire perimeter to prevent re-ignitions,” they explained. “We worked tirelessly through the night to consolidate the perimeter of the La Bisbal d’Empordà forest fire, which is now under control,” they added.
The fire began on Friday morning near Girona, about twenty kilometres from the Mediterranean coast. “If the situation continues to improve,” firefighters said, evacuations in around ten municipalities could be lifted and residents allowed to return home. Authorities say the fire was likely caused by “negligence.” Spanish media reported it may involve a construction worker using an angle grinder in a prohibited area. On Saturday evening, the president of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, confirmed an arrest but did not provide further details.
Spain, active in Europe’s climate action efforts, experienced last summer “the worst fires in its recent history,” Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in May. Last year, 393,000 hectares were destroyed by fires in Spain, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).