Firefighters continue to battle blazes in western and southern Catalonia

1,300 hectares affected in Baldomar and around 400 in both Corbera d'Ebre and Castellar de la Ribera

Firefighters working to put out the fire in Baldomar, near Artesa de Segre in western Catalonia, on June 15, 2022 (by Oriol Bosch)
Firefighters working to put out the fire in Baldomar, near Artesa de Segre in western Catalonia, on June 15, 2022 (by Oriol Bosch) / ACN

ACN | Baldomar

June 16, 2022 09:22 AM

*Last updated Thursday at 13:03 pm. 

Major wildfires continue to rage in Catalonia after breaking out on Wednesday amid unseasonably warm temperatures.

There are two in the west, in Baldomar and Castellar de la Ribera, which as of Thursday morning have already affected around 1,300 and 400 hectares respectively, as well as one near the southern town of Corbera d'Ebre, which has also affected 400 hectares. 

Of the 1,300 hectares affected in the Baldomar fire, some 940 are estimated to have burned as of midday on Thursday. 

"None of these fires are under control or stabilized," Joan Delort, the head of Catalonia's Firefighters Corps (Bombers), said on Thursday morning, adding that the Baldomar fire, in particular, was unlikely to be fully extinguished on Thursday or Friday.

The eastern flank of the fire has been stabilized, but the western side is proving to be more difficult to access on account of the terrain. Authorities warn that this wildfire could spread over 5,000 - far fewer than the 20,000 they initially feared. 

Delort described the heatwave and lack of rain over the past few months as "the perfect storm" fueling the fires.

20 residents of the small village of La Clua, in western Catalonia, were evacuated as a precaution, as were 54 people from Argentera's Cal Petit summer camp and the Os campsite in Balaguer. 

There are over 130 crews and 400 firefighters working to put out the three fires, while assistance from another 12 units from a military base in Zaragoza, as well as from locals with tractors, has been requested.

Firefighters from the neighboring region of Aragon, the Pyrenean microstate of Andorra, and the Barcelona area have also been called in to help.  

High minimum temperatures and extreme drought

The fires broke out on the very day that the Catalan interior minister was giving an overview of this summer's forest fire management campaign, which will involve more than 5,000 professionals, 40 aircraft, and 16 drones.

Around 1,200 ground vehicles are available to put out forest fires, while the 40 aircraft include 24 helicopters, ten surveillance and attack aircraft, and two seaplanes.

"We are facing one of the toughest and longest campaigns in recent years. For a long time, we have seen little rain and extraordinary heat, and now we have very high minimum temperatures and extreme drought," Joan Ignasi Elena explained at the event at Sabadell Airport, just north of Barcelona.

"We had a dry winter, on top of another winter," Elena warned, increasing the risk of fires. 

As of June 16, 27 of Catalonia's counties have a higher risk of wildfires due to high temperatures and low humidity levels. 

A total of 285 forest fires have already been recorded this year up to June, burning 607 hectares of forest, the highest figure since 2012.

From January 1 to June 12, firefighters worked on 2,748 incidents, higher than during the same period in 2021 (2,272 incidents), 2020 (1,207) and 2019 (2,343).

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