One arrested for Collserola fire, which is already stabilized

BarcelonaA fire is burning in the lungs of Barcelona, on the Collserola mountain. A large contingent of the Barcelona Firefighters and the Generalitat are working to extinguish the fire, which started around 3:25 PM in the part of the massif located between the Catalan capital and Esplugues de Llobregat. Emergency teams had requested the preventive confinement of the Can Caralleu neighborhood, a measure that has now been lifted. In parallel, the Guàrdia Urbana located and arrested a person in the vicinity of the fire, after detecting suspicious behavior and speaking with witnesses. The individual has been transferred to police facilities pending the outcome of the investigation, now in the hands of the Agents Rurals.

The extinguishing tasks are evolving favorably to the point that the Deputy Mayor of Barcelona, Albert Batlle, announced around 6 PM that it has been stabilized. Batlle added that they have already located the starting point of the fire, on Pearson Avenue. From there, the fire quickly climbed the ridge and now affects about ten hectares. The firefighters explain that it was not an easy fire to tackle, as it was very close to several electrical towers.

The fire has created a column of smoke visible from various points in the city, as shared by several users on social media. The 112 emergency number has received a thousand calls for this fire. Initially, the fire was pushed by the sea breeze and advanced quickly through scrubland. The roads in the area helped act as firebreaks, and stabilization allowed the firefighters to withdraw units. However, there will be crews all night to douse the terrain and prevent secondary outbreaks.

The Consortium of Collserola Park has reported that they are monitoring the situation from the park's fire prevention center. At the time the fire was detected, the watchman from the Sant Pere Màrtir tower was evacuated and is now out of the risk zone. All roads and forest paths in the area remain completely closed and the Arrabassada road is cut off in the direction of Sant Cugat. The City Council recommends that all residents exercise extreme caution, avoid any travel to the Collserola mountain range, and follow the instructions of the official channels of the security and emergency services.

Precisely this Friday, Barcelona City Council activated the Municipal Action Plan for Forest Fire Risk in alert phase, given that the Generalitat has placed Barcelonès in level 3 of Plan Alfa and at a very high risk of fire.