Bonfires, traffic jams and heat: call to exercise extreme caution on the shortest night of the year

BarcelonaThe Flame of Canigó returns to travel through towns and cities to light the Sant Joan bonfires, one of the most deeply rooted traditions in the Catalan Countries. The vigil, marked this year by high temperatures and a high risk of fire, will have to be celebrated with special attention to safety measures. In fact, the Government has suspended all authorizations for risky activities on forest land and within 400 meters of municipalities with a very high risk of forest fire.

However, despite the heat and traffic jams on many roads, squares and streets are already filling with fire, customs, and, above all, the desire to welcome summer. Firecrackers and coca bread cannot be missing to celebrate the shortest night of the year. Between 12 p.m. and 9 p.m., about 283,000 cars have left the metropolitan area of Barcelona, according to the Servei Català de Trànsit (SCT). This represents 58% of the 490,000 vehicles expected to leave the area until midnight. Despite the heavy traffic, no major queues are detected on any Catalan road.

The afternoon of this vigil Tuesday, however, began with tragedy. The driver of a truck died in a traffic accident that forced the closure of traffic this Tuesday afternoon on the AP-7 at the height of Riudellots de la Selva in the direction of Girona, according to the Servei Català de Trànsit (SCT). For reasons that are still being investigated, there was a collision between two trucks that resulted in the death of one of the drivers and a minor injury.

Emergency services are already working at the scene, where traffic jams of up to 9 kilometers have accumulated. Following the accident, five patrols from the Mossos d’Esquadra, four units from the Bombers de la Generalitat, and four units from the Sistema d’Emergències Mèdiques (SEM) were dispatched. Trànsit recommends the C-32 Nord or the A-2 as alternative routes, as well as the C-35, as the highway has been closed in the north direction and traffic has been diverted through the Maçanet de la Selva exit. There have been approximately 9 km of traffic jams in the northbound direction.

With this victim, 63 people have died on Catalan roads this year, according to provisional traffic data. Regarding the planned departure operation for the Sant Joan vigil, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. this Tuesday, 197,000 vehicles have left the metropolitan area of Barcelona, representing 40% of the planned vehicles.