Wind stokes Llançà fire

A total of 70 crews (57 land and 13 air) are working to extinguish a fire between Port de la Selva and Llançà, which started near Cau del Llop housing estate. According to the firefighters' report, the flames, stoked by the wind, reached the bottom of the ravine and are moving up the Santa Creu valley. As a precaution, residents of the housing estates of Santa Isabel, Vall de la Santa Creu and Beleser have been asked to leave their homes due to the proximity of the flames. According to the first estimates of the Forestry Agents, the flames have already devastated an area of 60 hectares, 59 of which are within the Natural Park of Cap de Creus.

The emergency services received a warning at half past one and quickly mobilised to control it, but their work is hindered by the strong winds, as well as the proximity to wooded and inhabited areas.

Everything favours the fire's advance

The left flank is the greatest cause of concern, as the flames are advancing towards the valley of Santa Creu, a critical point because the terrain makes it very complicated for emergency vehicles to access it. On the other hand, the right flank of the fire started advancing against the wind towards Perer pass. This is where the firefighters are concentrating their efforts, in order to avoid it crossing over to the main mountain range.

One of the evicted is Santiago Puigdelabellacasa, who lives in Santa Isabel housing estate, in Port de la Selva. He says that he hopes to be able to return at night to his home, as the wind makes is pushing the fire in the opposite direction of the homes. He told ARA that towards 13.15 h he saw two small fires on either side of the road "apparently without connection between them" and that when he called the emergency services they had already been alerted. Almost 200 calls were received.

The conditions for dealing with the fire in Llançà and Port de la Selva will not be good. The wind will continue during the afternoon and evening, without blowing in strong gusts, but rather a steady wind repeatedly reaching 30 km/h. This will not only be the case today, but tomorrow the pattern will be almost the same. It is possible that even tomorrow afternoon the wind may be a little more stronger. All this in a context of a clear rise in temperature. Today was a couple of degrees warmer than yesterday in the area, and tomorrow the heat will continue to rise, Miquel Bernis reports.

In fact, much of the Alt Empordà, especially the area of the Natural Park, is the area of Catalonia marked with a higher risk of fire and, therefore, since noon accesses to the Cap de Creus Natural Park and the Albera Natural Park were closed.

This morning, hours before the fire started, the Rural Agents already considered the counties of l'Empordà as those that presented more risk of fire in the country. Specifically, the areas further north were identified on the map as the places with the highest levels of risk.