Key facts
- A wildfire on the Costa Brava has burned 1,280 hectares.
- Around 12,000 people have been confined to their homes.
- A man has been arrested on suspicion of starting the La Bisbal d’Empordà wildfire.
- The fire is being fanned by the tramontana wind.
- The Catalan fire service described the blaze as a 'sixth-generation wildfire'.
A wildfire on Spain's Costa Brava has burned approximately 1,280 hectares of forest and farmland, forcing around 12,000 people in several municipalities in the province of Girona to remain indoors. A man has been arrested on suspicion of starting the La Bisbal d’Empordà wildfire while working with an angle grinder by the roadside. The blaze remains out of control, fanned by the tramontana wind.
The Government of Catalonia has requested support from the Military Emergency Unit (UME) to combat the fire. President Salvador Illa urged residents to follow authorities' instructions and advised against travel to affected areas to facilitate firefighting operations. The fire has produced a pyrocumulus cloud and led to the preventive confinement of several municipalities, with mobile alerts sent to approximately 40,000 people.
In addition to the main blaze, another fire in Vilavenut is affecting farmland, forcing residents in that area to stay indoors. Firefighters have deployed over fifty units, including eleven aircraft, to tackle the La Bisbal wildfire, which is being driven by strong winds. Crews are working to prevent its spread towards the coast, while the Vilavenut fire is being fought with aerial and ground units, alongside tractors ploughing land. Several roads have been closed due to the fires.
The head of the Catalan fire service, David Borrell, warned that the fire's flanks could move towards coastal areas and described the blaze as a 'sixth-generation fire' due to its rapid spread and unpredictable behavior.