The Firefighters stabilize the Gavarres fire

La Bisbal d'Empordà / BarcelonaThe fire in the Gavarres massif, in Empordà, is stabilized after burning more than 2,300 hectares, mostly forest mass. The Generalitat Firefighters, as President Salvador Illa has announced, have finished stabilizing the fire this Saturday night, around 10 p.m. The right flank of the flames, which was the one that worried the Firefighters the most because it was 30,000 potential hectares in the direction of Girona, had already been completely stabilized in the evening, while the left flank was "two-thirds" stabilized. A few minutes past 10 p.m., the Minister of the Interior, Núria Parlon, gave the expected news: the entire fire was stabilized, on both flanks. Therefore, a less "complicated" night is expected than the last one, when many neighbors lived in fear of the possibility that the flames would burn their homes.

Despite the optimistic message from the Catalan president, the total "extinction" of the flames "will be hard work" and, "if all goes well", will not occur until at least "mid-week". One of the positive pieces of news this weekend is that, despite the virulence of the flames, there have been no personal injuries. On the other hand, seven buildings have been "partially affected", four of which have been completely burned. This data is not definitive, as the Firefighters have not been able to access the entire burnt area.

The confinement measures in place in seven municipalities –Calonge i Sant Antoni, Castell d'Aro, Platja d'Aro i s'Agaró, Cruïlles, Monells i Sant Sadurní de l'Heura, Forallac, la Bisbal d'Empordà, Llagostera and Santa Cristina d'Aro– and other aggregated nuclei in the area will remain in effect in the coming hours and on Sunday morning it will be discussed again whether to lift the prohibitions and recommendations not to leave home. Traffic on the C-66, on the other hand, has been reopened. Nevertheless, the Gavarres massif will remain closed and activities in this large area of natural park will be restricted "while the heatwave lasts", which is expected to last until Wednesday or Thursday. An increase in temperatures that has led the Generalitat to decree level 4 of Plan Alfa in 20 municipalities in the area. Prevention measures that have caused the organization of the Calella de Palafrugell Havaneres singing to cancel the 59th edition of the traditional celebration, scheduled for this evening. In this regard, the Government had made the decision on Saturday morning to close the entire natural space of Les Gavarres and it is not ruled out that other natural spaces may be closed in the coming days due to the new heatwave, which could worsen the situation. "Days are coming when citizens must take extreme precautions," Illa asked.

The obsession with the right flank

In the fire, 475 firefighters and a hundred members of the Military Emergencies Unit (UME) have ended up working, which has made it possible to avoid what was an "obsession" for the Firefighters corps: that the sea breeze would uncontrol the right flank and the fire would advance uncontrollably through the entire forest mass of Les Gavarres, in the direction of Girona. This had been warned by the Firefighters inspector, David Borrell, who throughout Saturday insisted on warning residents to avoid self-evacuations, because they are very dangerous. “When people are inside their homes is when they are safest. It is understood that this generates nervousness, but it is when we are safest,” stressed Borrell, who recalled that the major deaths in Europe from forest fires are all due to evacuations and the victims were in transit. “It is 99% safe,” insisted the firefighter, who acknowledged that it can be “nerve-wracking” to see the fire advance, but “it is very unlikely that it will enter the house”.

Origin of fire

The spark from a grinder that was used improperly at the side of the GI-660 road is the main hypothesis for the origin of a vegetation fire that began on Friday at midday in La Bisbal d'Empordà and spread rapidly. The fire, driven by the strong Tramuntana wind, entered the protected massif of Les Gavarres and advanced uncontrollably. Although the investigation of the events is still in a very early stage, the Mossos d'Esquadra have already arrested a man linked to the fire for allegedly causing it through recklessness, as the use of such machinery is prohibited when Level 3 of Plan Alfa is activated. According to the Government, it would be an operator who was repositioning a road sign. The President of the Generalitat has assured that the arrested person will be brought before the judicial authorities on Sunday. Following the arrest of the suspect, the Directorate General of Mobility Infrastructure – which falls under the Department of Territory – has requested information from the concessionaire company for the road maintenance contract, a UTE formed by two companies, Aquaterra and Construcciones Rubau, to determine how the operator acted and to examine whether there have been breaches of regulations. The Mossos have spoken with different witnesses to find out if the company warned the man that he could not use machinery because there was a Level 3 of Plan Alfa or if it was communicated to him and he disregarded it.

Given the behavior of the flames and the start of the weekend, the authorities had asked the population – especially those in the metropolitan area – to cancel planned trips to the affected area, especially those with second homes. A recommendation that has not been fully met.

In the Gavarres massif there are more than 30,000 hectares and all are private properties. Forest owners, grouped within the Consorci de les Gavarres, have experienced hours of great concern. Owners have been warning for some time about the dangers of the forest situation and that they carry out various actions on the ground to prevent fires. "We have not had a fire of more than a thousand hectares since the eighties," concludes the president of the Consortium, Quim Gubau.

The behavior of this fire fits within the fearsome sixth-generation ones, which are characterized by their speed and the difficulties in fighting them.