Society10/07/2025
Unverified translation

Firefighters declare the Paüls fire under control.

The precipitation that fell on the fire area cooled the surface

ARA
2 min
UME personnel working in an area affected by the fire in Xerta.LORENA SOPENA/ EUROPA PRESS

BarcelonaAfter four days, firefighters have declared the Paüls forest fire under control. The control phase took place at 10:56 p.m., and the fire department concludes that the flames affected an area of 3,321 hectares. Efforts are now focused on inspecting nine hot spots to extinguish them. The light rain that fell in the area throughout the night and the drop in temperatures have helped to cool the ground.

Until early afternoon, firefighting crews were still soaking small vents, but around 8:00 p.m., vehicle deployment points distributed around the perimeter sent favorable reports from their areas: there were no plumes or hot spots that could immediately reignite. However, the fire will remain under observation for a minimum of 72 hours before it can be declared extinguished. During the night, 13 crews will remain, continuing to soak the burned area and strengthen the perimeter.

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Throughout the afternoon, favorable conditions have been maintained to leave this fire behind, in which A firefighter assistant died when he fell down a 20-meter slope. The scenario of this fierce fire, which spread rapidly on Monday afternoon driven by the strong mistral wind, finally reversed on Wednesday morning, when firefighters managed to stabilize the flames. This allowed the lifting of most of the lockdowns affecting 18,000 residents of several towns. The last to regain mobility were the residents of Paüls, the town where the fire started, who received the go-ahead to end their lockdown on Wednesday evening.

A UME vehicle in an area affected by the fire, on July 9, 2025, in Xerta, Tarragona.Lorena Sopêna / Europa Press

The neighbors, once released from confinement, were able to go out on Wednesday check the fire damage on the ground and in their farmhouses or estates. "We didn't think so, but the house was saved. The fire went through the ravine next door," Núria, one of those affected, explained to ARA.

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In parallel, the Rural Agents corps and the Mossos d'Esquadra have created an investigation group to jointly clarify the origin of the fire. In statements to journalists, they emphasized that the investigation is very complex, but that they have already managed to narrow down the area to between one or two hectares where the fire is believed to have started. What is known so far is that the fire started in a forested area that is easily accessible and that it would be at one end of the fire. "Right now there is no probable cause; we will have to look at many things and rule out many others as well," Rural Agents sub-inspector Xavier Gilabert emphasized on Wednesday.

Environmentalist complaint about the fire in Ponent

Ipcena and Ecologists of Catalonia filed a complaint this Thursday with the Environmental Prosecutor's Office of the High Court of Justice of Catalonia against the Department of Agriculture and the central service of Rural Agents for "irresponsibility" in the Torrefeta and Florejacs fire that burned some 5,000 hectares of crops and forests in Ponent, resulting in deaths.

The spokesperson for the organizations, Joan Vázquez, stated that although the Rural Agents' map indicated that Plan Alfa 3 was active that day due to the hot and humid conditions, it was reduced to allow the grain harvesters to operate. In this regard, the complainants assume that the fires in Torrefeta and Florejacs, as well as the one in Sanaüja, which started on July 1, were caused by a grain harvester, although the investigation is still open to clarify the source. Vázquez spoke of "very serious circumstances" on the part of the administrations responsible for managing these fires, which is why they have filed the complaint, seeking to initiate a criminal investigation to determine the alleged perpetrators.

Environmentalists point the finger directly at the General Directorate of Forests, under the Department of Agriculture, and the central services of the Rural Agents Corps, under the Department of the Interior, as responsible, as they believe they have failed to develop the necessary resources or preventative action policies to prevent fires that "in many cases could have been avoided." Furthermore, regarding the measures presented by the mayors affected by the fire, Vázquez warned that a review of the existing SPAs in this area cannot be requested, nor can agricultural creams be authorized, and has announced that they will oppose them.