Terror gives way to solidarity in devastated Paüls after wildfire

The residents of Paüls, a small town in the Baix Ebre region of southern Catalonia, experienced some relief on Wednesday afternoon when the wildfire was declared stabilized.

After being confined to their homes for 48 hours, with flames visible from their windows, the neighbors of this town of fewer than 600 residents began to slowly recover from the devastating wildfire.

“It is shocking to see the village devastated. We have to adapt to this new and harsh reality,” Enric Adell, the town’s mayor, told the Catalan News Agency (ACN).

Although the lockdown was lifted in other nearby towns affecting some 18,000 people, Paüls remains under confinement, especially restricting movement out of the town.

However, residents have been allowed to leave their homes, and there is hope that the restrictions will soon be fully lifted.

In just two days, the landscape around Paüls has been dramatically transformed, with the fire scorching and greying the surrounding forests and farmland.

“This will have a lasting emotional impact. We will remember this for a long time. It has been harsh, and we have suffered greatly,” Adell added.

Despite the devastation, the mayor celebrated the fact that no lives were lost. “Apart from this positive news, the rest is negative,” he said.

During the lockdown, the town was without phone or internet service, making communication difficult.

“We had to do what people did fifty years ago,” explained Adell, who resorted to going door to door to keep neighbors informed, using “methods from the past.”

While many neighbors still lack phone service, a spirit of solidarity has begun to emerge in the town. Neighbors like Enric Garcia, one of the few with Wi-Fi, have been generously sharing their connection with others.

“I thought that putting the password on a piece of paper on my door so everyone could use it was the best way to contribute to this neighborhood network, which is so helpful in extreme situations,” Enric said.

He explained that the experience reminded him of the solidarity and conversations shared with neighbors during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Enric emphasized that it is precisely the sense of community and support among neighbors that has given him strength after such a "terrible, frightening, and anguishing" experience.

140 dogs saved

Solidarity also extended to the volunteers who managed to save all 140 dogs housed at the rescue center located between Aldover and Alfara de Carles.

The flames came dangerously close to the shelter’s perimeter, forcing volunteers themselves to evacuate temporarily. Around fifty dogs were evacuated initially, while the rest remained at the shelter.

"The dogs that stayed are still very nervous, but those we evacuated and who have since returned are very happy," explained Susi Gómez, a volunteer at Arca.

Susi explained that many people offered trucks and cages to help evacuate the dogs, but at one point, police closed the roads due to the fire’s proximity, making evacuation impossible.

“We wanted to stay with the dogs here, but we were forced to leave because the fire could have surrounded us,” she said.

After the particularly harsh night on Monday, the volunteers returned to the refuge and were able to start evacuating the remaining 80 dogs.

“Those were moments filled with anguish and fear, especially after 24 hours without sleep,” she recalled.

However, the full evacuation of the dogs was only completed once the flames in the area were extinguished.