Crucial week for fires
The Firefighters are working to have the flames of the Gavarres under control
BarcelonaPiera, Sant Boi, Capellades, Òrrius, Gisclareny, Barruera... and so on up to fifteen fires of varying intensity across the territory, adding to the wear and tear caused by the fire that has been burning since Friday in Les Gavarres, in Empordà. That's why the Firefighters, who received more than 100 calls, issued a warning for the coming days, as long as the new heatwave that arrived yesterday, Sunday, in Catalonia lasts and is expected to continue until the end of the week. "We are entering a week in which we could have fires with speeds that exceed extinction capacity throughout the country," warned the Firefighters.
The risky situation in which Catalonia finds itself, due to temperatures exceeding 40 degrees in many areas of the country, led Protecció Civil and the Agents Rurals to call for extreme caution and to extend restrictions to the natural spaces of Ribera Salada, between the regions of Solsonès and Alt Urgell, and Baronia de Rialb, in La Noguera, which were added to those already in place since Saturday in the Gavarres massif. Despite the access prohibitions to the Empordà natural park, the Agents Rurals detected some cyclists riding in the area. On the other hand, the extreme risk of forest fires in regions such as Alt Urgell, Baix Empordà, Gironès, La Noguera, Pallars Jussà, Ribera d’Ebre, Terra Alta, Solsonès, and Segrià was raised to 45 municipalities; and another 385 municipalities are at level 3, with a high risk.
Without control
And it is that the Firefighters want to avoid that a fire of the magnitude of that of the Gavarres is repeated in the coming days. Two foci of this dimension would be difficult to assume, with the human wear and tear they entail. Furthermore, the Empordà fire remains stabilized, but it is not yet under control and, therefore, the guard cannot be lowered. The Firefighters expect to have “better conditions” this Monday to attack both flanks of the flames, although the head inspector of the Girona Emergency Region, Jordi Martín, did not want to take for granted that the fire can be controlled during the day today, Monday: there is still a lot of work to do and the extinction will take days.
This last night, thanks also to the drop in temperatures, the means that were operating have been punctually reduced, in order to have more detachments and personnel available to cover fires that may appear throughout the territory. The Military Emergencies Unit (UME) has also withdrawn from the area after helping with the extinction tasks throughout the weekend.
One of the biggest difficulties in the Gavarres fire is the perimeter of the fire: 40 kilometers that the agents have been cooling to prevent the fire from regaining presence. Throughout the afternoon, with the sea breeze breaking in from midday, there were resurgences and flare-ups of different intensity that hindered the work of the firefighters. However, the advance of the flames could be controlled, and the affected area remained stable, with about 2,200 hectares burnt.
End of confinement
Early on Sunday morning, after flying over the perimeter of the Gavarres massif and holding command meetings, it was decided to lift the confinement in the seven municipalities –Calonge i Sant Antoni, Castell d’Aro, Platja d’Aro i s’Agaró, Cruïlles, Monells i Sant Sadurní de l’Heura, Forallac, la Bisbal d’Empordà, Llagostera and Santa Cristina d’Aro– and other aggregated nuclei in the area, and to allow the return of evacuees. In this way, after many hours of anguish, some residents were able to return to their homes, while the firefighters of the Special Group for Collapsed Structures (GREC) inspected the houses to assess if they were at risk of collapse. After stabilizing the two flanks of the fire, about eighty buildings and vehicles inside and around the fire perimeter could be inspected, and it was finally confirmed that there were 11 dwellings with structural damage and 14 more partially affected.
Freedom for the worker
The worker arrested for starting the fire while working with an angle grinder by the roadside was released after appearing before the duty court of the Bisbal d’Empordà district court. The man, who works for a joint venture formed by Aquaterra and Rubau that was in charge of road maintenance work, will have to be available to the judge whenever summoned.
