Fire in Baix Ebre: maximum tension to protect the ports from the flames in the face of a wind shift

Barcelona / TortosaHeFire that has been burning in Baix Ebre since Monday has already burned some 3,137 hectares of mostly forested land, according to provisional data from the Agents Rurals, and has confined 18,000 people. The strong wind that blew during the night, with sustained gusts of 90 kilometers per hour, has complicated attempts to contain the fire, which is still burning out of control and Firefighters don't expect to be able to stabilize the blaze until at least tonight. The situation this afternoon is extremely tense, and the goal is to prevent the flames from spreading rapidly into Els Ports Natural Park, where 1,112 hectares have already been affected, given the wind change expected in the afternoon.

Although the gusts are forecast to ease, which would favor the general extinguishing of the fire, the arrival of the storm will also change the wind direction, threatening the Els Ports area. "If the fire enters, it will have many negative consequences," warned the deputy director of the Fire Department, Francesc Boya, in statements from the control center in Tortosa. "It would put the fire in a natural area of high ecological value and would pose significant operational difficulties due to the lack of access," he added, painting a picture "with many more hectares burned, with great difficulty and, therefore, a long period of time."

Hours earlier, also from Tortosa, the head of the Fire Department, David Borrell, highlighted the "violent" wind speed during the night, reaching speeds of 28 or 30 km/h (16 or 19 mph) and making the efforts to control the left side of the fire "extremely" difficult. In fact, the work in the early hours of Tuesday has focused on trying to prevent the fire from spreading across the Ebro River on the road between Paüls - the town where it started - and Xerta. The mistral wind caused the flames to spread to Tivenys, the first town affected by the fire, located on the other side of the river, during the night. However, firefighters managed to prevent the blaze from spreading towards the Cardó mountain range, a priority along with protecting Els Ports.

More than 300 firefighters and around 100 members of the Military Emergency Unit (UME)—requested by the Generalitat at the request of the Fire Department—are working on the blaze in "very difficult, precarious, and harsh" conditions, Borrell admitted. "If we're lucky, we'll be able to stabilize it overnight. I don't think so before then because we're working under many difficulties," Boya later agreed. The marinade is expected to begin pouring in around 2 p.m., which should facilitate the firefighting crews' work.

Call for caution: "People should stay put."

Pending this change, it has been decided to maintain almost all of the lockdowns already declared this Monday, affecting some 18,000 people. The towns under lockdown in Baix Ebre are Paüls, Aldover, Xerta, Alfara de Carles, Tivenys, Roquetes, the EMDs (decentralized municipal entities) of Bítem and Jesús, and the Reguers neighborhood of Tortosa. The municipalities of Pinell de Brai and Prat de Comte were added to Terra Alta this Tuesday, where the lockdown is currently municipal, but no longer residential. The Minister of the Interior, Núria Parlon, admitted that it will not be until tonight that an assessment will be made of whether the strictest lockdowns will be lifted or relaxed. "There are many hours of work left," she said at a press conference this afternoon. "People shouldn't move, people shouldn't go out," insisted the deputy director of Civil Protection, Imma Solé, in statements to Catalunya Ràdio.

So far, only specific evacuations have been carried out in some farmhouses and places such as the Toscar neighborhood of Alfara de Carlos, although Parlon has asked the population to exercise maximum "prudence and caution" and to follow the instructions of Civil Protection, as have the mayors of the area. The President of the Generalitat (Catalan government), Salvador Illa, traveled to the command center this afternoon. For his part, the Spanish President, Pedro Sánchez, expressed his "solidarity" through the social network X.

The mayor of Paüls: "We fear the change in wind direction"

Following the news closely, it has been a long night on the ground, starting with the village of Paüls, where the fire started. The municipality has been completely isolated, although the mistral wind has pushed the fire in the opposite direction to the town center. "The cloud of smoke has not reached the town, and that perhaps contributes to the perception of relative calm," Mayor Enric Adell explains to ARA. "The fear is that, with the wind change expected at noon, the situation could change. We are concerned that, depending on how the garbinada [the southeast wind, coming from the sea] blows, the fire could spread toward the town, toward the Ombries and the Valley, which is an area with very dense forests and will cause deaths."

For the time being, inhabited farmhouses in the municipality have been evacuated as a precaution, and the villagers have been asked not to enter the country houses. The City Council has made the Els Ports Shelter and the municipal center available for evacuees who have nowhere else to go, and has provided landing spaces for firefighter vehicles and helicopters. Logistics management has been complicated by the loss of mobile phone coverage, although, for the time being, telematic communication is maintained thanks to internet and radio frequency networks.

As a result of the fire, several roads in the Baix Ebre region have been closed, starting with the one to Xerta in Paüls, where firefighters are working intensively. The T-301 from Tortosa in Tivenys is closed in Santa Rosa de Lima. From Bítem, however, traffic is still possible toward Tortosa. The T-342 road is closed from Reguers to Alfara, where access is restricted. The C-12 between Jesús and Xerta is also closed. However, traffic is still possible from Jesús to Tortosa.

Heavy deployment due to the risk of simultaneous fires

In addition to the 300 firefighters and 100 UME personnel, personnel from the Forest Fire Reinforcement Brigades (BRIF), which depend on the Spanish government, and volunteers from the Forest Defense Groups are also collaborating on the fire. A dozen aerial vehicles, two hydrographic vehicles, and at least one UME bomber are also involved. And the president of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has offered the Generalitat firefighting equipment from the region. Beyond the difficulties in controlling the fire, the large deployment is due to the desire to have all the resources available in case of simultaneous fires.