The government acknowledges that the Els Ports Natural Park does not have a fire prevention plan, after the CUP (Council of Public Unity) warned about this deficiency following the Paüls forest fire. Territori sources point out that this plan should have been in place 39 years ago, according to Decree 78/1986, which establishes that natural areas of special protection must develop a basic fire prevention plan. They assert that the government is working with the General Directorate of Forests, within the Department of Agriculture, and has even transferred the authority to it to initiate it. They also emphasize that this government does not want to "enter into accusations," but rather to "guarantee the preservation of biodiversity and fire prevention."
The lockdown in Paüls is lifted after the fire in Baix Ebre has been stabilized.
Firefighters will work through the night to identify hot spots with drones and declare the fire under control.
BarcelonaAfter burning 3,221 hectares, mostly forest land, firefighters have managed to stabilize the entire area of theBaix Ebre fire"Intensive" firefighting efforts throughout the night and into the morning have allowed water to be discharged at the two areas still burning, although the Fire Department's chief of intervention, Joan Rovira, explained that this afternoon and evening's work will be to "consolidate" this stabilization. The improved situation has allowed all municipalities to be released from lockdown, including Paúl, which was the last. "We don't have the fire under control, much less extinguished," Rovira warned.
According to the force, this morning's work was effective and allowed them to work to consolidate the fire perimeter. This led to the fire being declared stabilized by 90% this morning, and a few hours later, the two hard-to-reach points were stabilized: one north of Paüls and another in the Les Portelles area, on the road leading to Prat de Compte. Rovira explained that these are two elevated locations that firefighters struggle to reach using water lines, and therefore, work can only be done using aerial vehicles and hand tools.
Despite the lifting of the lockdown, Rural Agents Sub-Inspector Xavier Gilabert has urged citizens to be cautious with mobility and urged them to "wait a bit until the situation improves."
Awaiting the weather
Currently, there are around 100 ground crews and 17 aircraft working intensively, especially on the left flank. State seaplanes are also focusing their water drops. On the right flank, between Paüls and Alfara de Carles (the tail end of the fire), a detachment from the Ministry for Ecological Transition's reinforcement brigades is currently working on a slope where the fire has been very active. In this area, with many cliffs and very difficult access, work is being done with hand tools. Along the remaining perimeter, which has not grown in recent hours, the firefighters will continue the soaking work, as there are already many hot spots.
Rovira explained that the weather will be key to fully stabilizing the fire. Although he stated that "at this time the forecast is positive," he emphasized that they must be aware of rain and whether the approaching storm will bring "erratic winds" that could complicate extinguishing the fire. Today, conditions will be more favorable for extinguishing the fire: humidity has risen slightly and will continue to rise throughout the day, with the maritime influence remaining with a wind that should not be surprising, although the same weather conditions could bring moderate gusts from the southeast in the afternoon.
A day with significant cloud cover is also expected, which will slow temperatures, which will remain below 30°C all day, and the possibility of showers in the area cannot be ruled out. In this regard, Rovira admitted that this is "the only factor that could generate concern" because they do not know if it will bring rain or a dry storm.
The investigation is underway
Gilabert also explained that the Rural Agents and the Mossos d'Esquadra have created an investigation group to jointly clarify the origin of the fire. Speaking to reporters, he emphasized that the investigation is "very complex," but that they have already managed to narrow down the area to between one and two hectares where the fire allegedly started.
While waiting for the investigation to provide more details, Gilabert revealed that the fire started in a forested area that is relatively easily accessible and that it would be at one end of the blaze. "Right now there is no probable cause; we will have to look at many things and rule out many others as well," he emphasized.
The 112 emergency line has received a total of 608 calls about the fire up to this morning, the vast majority from Baix Ebre (545) and from the municipalities of Xerta (203), Paüls (144) and Tortosa (73).