UPDATE: Wildfire In Girona Stabilised With Residents Returning To Their Homes

Sunday, August 6 at 4:40 pm

The wildfire that had been burning in the province of Girona for the last two days has finally been stabilised.

Addressing the media at around 9:30 pm on Saturday evening at the command centre installed in the town of Llançà by the Generalitat Fire Department, Fire Inspector Jordi Martin explained that the situation was finally under control.

An official statement was also issued by the Generalitat Department of the Interior.

Despite being stabilised, it doesn’t mean that the flames have been extinguished he stressed. Teams worked through the night monitoring the perimeter of the fire using drones and around 15 vehicles.

Martin hoped that the firefighters would take control of the situation at some point today. He pointed out though that the tramontana (north wind) that blew strong on Saturday was forecast to continue, which could cause hotspots to reignite.

Residents of Portbou and Colera who had been evacuated were allowed to return to their homes. However, the N-260 remained closed to facilitate the easy movement of emergency services.

Imatges de la represa en què estem treballant en aquests moments, al flanc esquerre #IFPortbou. A la zona continua bufant la tramuntana. #bomberscat pic.twitter.com/9LsmZIDUTp

— Bombers (@bomberscat) August 6, 2023

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Saturday, August 5 at 3:38 pm

A wildfire that broke out south of the town of Portbou in Girona province is threatening to spread over the nearby border into France.

Teams of Spanish and French firefighters are working together in an effort to control the blaze this Saturday, August 5. An estimated 435 hectares (1,100 acres) of land have already been destroyed in this northeastern region of Catalonia, with at least 130 residents evacuated from their homes in several villages as a precaution.

A #IFPortbou la prioritat #Bomberscat és escanyar el flanc dret de l'incendi perquè no vagi cap a Llançà. S'hi treballa amb eines manuals i aigua i està contingut (NO ESTABILITZAT) dins uns eixos de rieres i la N-260. El flanc esquerre 📹 és a la carena de Portbou pic.twitter.com/sdYlUZizMe

— Bombers (@bomberscat) August 5, 2023

In a statement from the Catalonian Government, Interior Minister Joan Ignasi Elena insisted that: “The drop in wind and the activation of two AVAs will help us move forward with today’s goal: to establish the right flank, which is the most important, because if it spreads, it could expand the perimeter of the fire’.

The politician explained that around 100 crews were involved in battling the fire that started yesterday, Friday 4, with 300 personnel deployed to the location. These include firefighters and volunteers, forestry assistants, health personnel, pilots, drivers and operators.

‘This fire is derived from strong winds and also heat, but very particularly from the wind’, stressed Elana. He thanked the operational and emergency forces for their work.

‘We will continue to work with great intensity, very focused on fixing the right flank so that it does not spread and does not generate new outbreaks and new outbreaks in other places’, he assured.

Imatges dels treballs de la nit a #IFPortbou #Bomberscat pic.twitter.com/eToRWykMDB

— Bombers (@bomberscat) August 5, 2023

As pointed out in the statement, this morning’s work consisted of preventing the fire from entering the main ridge that led to the coastal resort of Llançà.

This objective has now been achieved, according to the Corps commanders, who remained cautious while the fire was being fed by a strong north wind.

The tail end of the fire had been extinguished, which covered a third of the right flank. That was the most worrying area because it had a potential spread of 2,700 hectares, whereas the left flank is confined by the N-260 road.

A #IFPortbou hi treballen 280 efectius #Bomberscat Ataquem de manera intensa al flanc dret, que té potencial forestal i d'afectació urbana. 4 efectius i 2 ciutadans han estat atesos per @semgencat per afectacions lleus. Les restriccions de trànsit i confinaments segueixen vigents pic.twitter.com/CCFGByit7c

— Bombers (@bomberscat) August 5, 2023

However, as the day progressed, an increase in the north wind caused the stabilised area to reignite and the flames started spreading out of control again.

As a result, it was necessary to confine the Port of Llançà and evacuate Guifreu. Two Surveillance and Attack Aircraft (AVAs) took off at noon, joining the five bomber helicopters that had been working since early this morning.