What should we do to protect ourselves from fires?
Firefighters recommend self-isolation and never self-evacuation.
BarcelonaThe fire that broke out this Tuesday in the Segarra and Noguera regions has left two people dead, thousands of hectares burned (and a dozen buildings damaged), and has forced the confinement of 20,000 residents in nine municipalities. The fire spread at an almost unprecedented speed, causing a surprising stir. who ended up dying while trying to take shelter under some rocks. The head of the Generalitat's Fire Brigade, David Borrell, tells ARA that the main rule for self-protection if we have a fire nearby is to try to confine ourselves.
"With the buildings we have in Catalonia—stone, brick, and mortar—it's highly unlikely that with the windows closed we'll have any interior damage. We're safest in confinement," says Borrell. In this sense, he adds that self-evacuation is a "very bad idea." "Ninety percent of deaths occur in open spaces," he points out. This also happens in vehicles: "Inside a car, we are highly vulnerable," he adds. Therefore, he always recommends looking for safe escape routes, eventually finding interior spaces and confine ourselves within them.
However, the Fire Chief admits that being in the middle of a mountain when a fire is burning is a very complicated situation. In this regard, he reminds us that the recommendations of the Fire Department and Civil Protection should always be followed, as they try to "anticipate scenarios" by ordering preventive lockdowns in homes, as was the case this Tuesday. The Fire Chief comments that it is a system copied from the United States and is a "pioneer" in Europe. In cases of evacuation, the authorities always plan and implement it.
More advice
The Fire Department also reminds everyone that, if you are in a residential area, it's important to maintain a buffer zone of at least 25 meters with vegetation cleared, and that interior plots also have the undergrowth cleared and a distance of at least 6 meters between trees. Remove outdoor awnings and move furniture away from the facade if time permits.