Montserrat mountain closed during weekend due to high risk of wildfire

Government restricts access from Saturday

Montserrat mountain surrounded by forests
Montserrat mountain surrounded by forests / Nia Escolà
ACN

ACN | @agenciaacn | Barcelona

March 31, 2023 01:56 PM

March 31, 2023 04:28 PM

The Montserrat national park, and therefore its mountain, will be closed during the weekend due to the high risk of wildfire, as the Catalan government announced on Friday afternoon.

Access to the area will be restricted for 48 hours after the executive increased the 'pla Alfa' fire protocol to level three in the area.

Authorities expect heavy winds and high temperatures added to the strong drought seen in the territory due to the lack of rain. 

Access to the Montserrat natural park closed due to the high risk of wildfires on July 15, 2022
Access to the Montserrat natural park closed due to the high risk of wildfires on July 15, 2022 / Nia Escolà

The measure is in place in four different municipalities, and it is the first time since November 2013 that the government activates the 'pla Alfa' level three outside of the summer season.

Joan Ignasi Elena, Catalan interior minister, asked citizens to be very "careful" ahead of Easter week.

 

"In the first quarter of 2021, there were 230 forest fires. In 2022, there were 331, and this year there have been 475," he said. 

Filling the Sink podcast episode

Montserrat is a natural wonder, a rocky mountain range that rises from the plains of central Catalonia. It's a holy place, home to La Moreneta, the Virgin of Montserrat, and a Benedictine Abbey with a history stretching back one thousand years.

Listen to our Filling the Sink podcast episode to learn more about this natural park.

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