The forest part of the Òrrius fire, which has forced the confinement of the population, has been stabilized

BarcelonaProtecció Civil has sent an alert to mobile phones to request the confinement of 600 residents of the municipality of Òrrius, in the Maresme region, due to an industrial fire that is spreading through forest mass. The fire has been stabilized by the Firefighters before 7 p.m. In Es-Alert, the Generalitat asks citizens not to go out into the street and to close doors and windows. In the afternoon, the forest part of the fire was declared stabilized after affecting one hectare of surface, as explained by the head of the Firefighters' operation, Manuel Escudero. Regarding the industrial part, which manufactured waxes and paraffins, the corps opts for the strategy of letting the paraffin inside burn without intervening.

There were 500 tons of paraffin at the industrial plant, 100 outside and 400 inside. Those inside continue to burn and generate a very visible column of smoke, which is why the Firefighters maintain the confinement order. They are confident that it can be lifted tomorrow morning, if the column has diminished enough. Escudero explained that for now the origin of the fire is not clear, "whether it started as vegetation and affected the industry or started in the factory and affected the forest part". Escudero explained that for now the origin of the fire is not clear, "whether it started as vegetation and affected the industry or started in the factory and affected the forest part". 

The forest fire has not had "any impact on people or buildings". The flames reached "some enclosure of some surrounding farmhouse", but of little consideration, according to the head of the Firefighters' operation. In fact, the Firefighters have not issued any evacuation order, but a confinement order. In this regard, Inspector Josep Maria Caballé, head of the Basic Police Area of Mataró, explained that there have been residents who have asked "to be evacuated" due to "necessity" or because they were "anxious".

In fact, the ACN has spoken with a dozen evacuated families. These are the people who live in the seven farmhouses next to the factory and who regret that they will not be able to return home for at least a couple of days. The firefighters, however, insist that they have not ordered any evictions. In statements to the ACN, Josefina, one of those affected, explains that she was at home when the fire broke out and that she got very scared because she started to hear explosions and suddenly "the sky became overcast" with smoke. The Òrrius City Council has made the Can Mestres civic center available to the evacuated residents so they can stay there, and one of the village bars will remain open to attend to them.

At the same time, the Firefighters have reported that all workers have left the company and no one has been affected. In turn, the Medical Emergency System (SEM) reports that they have attended to five people and all have been discharged on the spot. The fire has caused paraffin to spill from the industry into a stream and the Catalan Water Agency has been activated to monitor its evolution. In parallel, the emergency telephone number 112 has received almost 400 calls. For the moment, according to Rural Agents, the fire affects an area of 0.4 hectares.