A fire forces the confinement of the 700 neighbors of Sant Quirze Safaja

BarcelonaA forest fire that broke out this Sunday midday has forced around 700 residents of the town and scattered farmhouses of Sant Quirze Safaja, in the Moianès region, to be confined. The proximity of the flames and their rapid spread led Civil Protection to send an ES-Alert message to mobile phones in the municipality past 4 p.m. asking the population to stay inside houses and buildings and to close doors and windows. The fire has so far scorched about 14 hectares, of which 13.6 are forest area and the rest agricultural land, according to provisional estimates by the Rural Agents, who are investigating the causes of its origin.

Due to the fire, which coincides with the peak of the heatwave, the natural site of Sant Miquel del Fai has been closed to avoid risks to visitors and to facilitate the movement of extinction teams. In addition, the BV-1341 at Sant Quirze Safaja and the accesses to the C-59, as well as other local roads, are closed. Previously, tourists staying at the Illa campsite and those at a nearby restaurant were also confined indoors. According to the firefighters, the fire is burning "uphill with high intensity and has already crowned".

The fire broke out this afternoon around one o'clock in an area of vegetation on the side of the road and above the campsite. Firefighters are working spread across an area of 10 hectares with about thirty ground and air teams to extinguish the flames, which are advancing on two flanks. Also, personnel from the ADF of the region have been deployed to support the tail of the fire on the road. Most of the teams are focusing on extinguishing the most active part, the left flank, which is advancing through a stony area that slows down the progression of the flames.

On the other hand, in Piera, in the Anoia region, firefighters are also working on a vegetation fire between houses on a street in the Can Martí de l'Estela urbanization, while they are dousing the burnt areas in the fire declared near the train tracks that caused a temporary halt in high-speed traffic between Girona and Figueres, which has now been restored.