The firefighters of the Generalitat are working on the fire that originated in France and reached Catalonia via Portbou.Bombers Generalitat
The forest fire that was unleashed in the French Pyrenees at noon today reached Spanish territory via Portbou (Girona) in the early afternoon, driven by the strong winds blowing in the area and which have prevented the work of the air resources stationed there. The fire has so far affected a few thousand hectares (the vast majority on the French side) and forced the evacuation of several houses to prevent it.
The fire was declared between the French towns of Cerbère and Banyuls-sur-Mer and has been progressing uncontrollably for several hours, driven by the north wind. After 7 p.m., French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin tweeted that the fire had already affected 930 hectares, plus about 96 in the Massif de l’Albera Natural Park (Girona), according to the Panel of Rural Agents.
The mayor of Portbou, Xavi Barranco, said around 8pm that the situation had started to improve. “We are much calmer because the wind has died down and changed direction, it is no longer moving towards the core of the city. But we still say it with caution, because if the wind picks up again, we can have the fire here in ten minutes.”
The mayor has confirmed that, given the rapid progress of the fire, the Mossos evacuated several isolated farmhouses and apartments in the town of Portbou (Girona) “as a precaution” this afternoon. The eviction was carried out in the La Muntanya neighborhood and affected “about 50 residents”, the vast majority of whom were staying with relatives in Portbou. None of the houses were affected by the flames. Firefighters have confirmed that the fronts are slowly advancing, although they find it very difficult to stabilize the fire this Sunday.
The fire has also forced the disruption of traffic on the N-260 towards France (on the French side, the RD-914 is disrupted). The rail connection with the neighboring country has also been interrupted since noon. The mayor of Portbou has declared that the twenty people trapped in their vehicles and taken to the city are being treated.
The Generalitat fire brigade, which has deployed crews to France to help French pompiers since the fire broke out, is working with 43 ground crews against the blaze in the Puig de la Farella area this afternoon. The two planes that traveled to the area to put out the fire had to return to the base because the strong winds blowing in the area prevented them from carrying out their work. The Mossos call on the neighbors in the social networks to “follow the instructions of the emergency services for your safety”. Members of the Catalan Police also control road access to secure the evacuated area.
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