Western Catalonia wildfire under control after burning around 6,000 hectares

The wildfire in Torreta i Florejacs, in western Catalonia, is now under control as Catalan firefighters reported on Wednesday night after burning around 6,000 hectares.

The fire has left two people dead, a farmer and the owner of a farm, and is considered the first sixth-generation blaze ever recorded in Catalonia. It started on Tuesday at 5:08 pm, and flames spread at a peak speed of 28 kilometers per hour, one of the highest recorded in fires in Europe.

Local winds around the fire reached 120 kilometers per hour, and the pyrocumulus created by the high energy of the flames and atmospheric conditions rose 14,000 meters before collapsing.

The most affected towns are Torrefeta i Florejacs, Vilanova de l'Aguda, Cabanabona, Oliola, and Agramunt.

While the fire was stabilized on Tuesday night, several firefighter units continued to work on Wednesday, including 35 ground units and six aerial units. On Tuesday, thousands of people received a stay-at-home order.

Firefighters had to change their plans on Wednesday afternoon when another fire broke out in Pinós, in the Solsonès county, just 40 kilometers away from the Torreta i Florejacs fire. But, the fire was able to be stabilized in less than one hour, and units returned to the main blaze.

Experts expect the scenario to be "slightly more favorable" on Wednesday, as temperatures will be lower and humidity will increase.

In addition to the two fatalities, two firefighters have been injured. One of them has injuries from sparks in his eyes, and the other was hospitalized with a mild condition after pieces of the roof of a collapsed haystack fell on him.

Moisés Galán, head of the firefighters unit at the site, said that the team had run "into people looking around. This is a risk in any firefighters' deployment, specially if we had sent a phone warning. A warning must be obeyed by, as these warnings are sent for the security of residents."

Fire origin

Forest rangers, who are responsible for determining the causes of wildfires, are currently working under the hypothesis that the blaze was ignited by a farming mower.

The affected area lies within one of Catalonia's key cereal-producing regions, and much of the land that burned is agricultural.

Cereal harvesting, which typically takes place between July and September, carries a high wildfire risk due to the use of heavy machinery under extreme heat conditions, combined with dry, highly flammable vegetation.

This year, however, the harvesting season began early, in June, as unusually high temperatures caused the cereal crops to mature ahead of schedule.

In addition, abundant rainfall earlier in the year led to a strong harvest, but also to increased vegetation growth, providing more fuel for potential fires.

In fact, forest rangers launched a wildfire prevention campaign at the beginning of June, specifically aimed at reducing fire risks from agricultural machinery during the harvest.

The agricultural union Asaja said the wildfire caused significant losses, especially to unharvested wheat and harvested barley stubble, and straw storage facilities were burned and severely damaged.

The union is calling on the Agriculture Department to implement an economic plan that compensates local farmers for their losses "as quickly as possible."

Catalonia and wildfires

Catalonia is one of the European regions most vulnerable to wildfires. Its hot, dry summers, combined with strong winds, vast forested areas, and rugged terrain, create the perfect conditions for forest fires. 

Over the past decade, Catalonia has experienced an average of 500 wildfires per year, with around 1,800 hectares burned annually. 

Listen to the podcast below to learn more about Catalonia's wildfire strategy.