Wildfire in southern Catalonia forces a number of home evacuations
Roads close to the fire affecting 2,500 hectares have been forced to close
Roads close to the fire affecting 2,500 hectares have been forced to close
Roads close to the fire affecting more than 500 hectares have been forced to close
Risk of forest blazes is “much higher” due to high temperatures, lack of rain, and heat waves caused by climate change
The Catalan government has set the maximum alert level for forest fires’ risk in 30 regions, most of them in central Catalonia, due to the high temperatures registered in the last few days, which exceeded 40 degrees in some areas. On Tuesday alone, 86 wild fires hit different regions of Catalonia simultaneously. However, the most important one occurred this Tuesday in Vallbona de les Monges, a small village 40 kilometres west from the city of Lleida. In less than 5 hours, the fire burned nearly 900 hectares, most of them cereal crops. The firefighters sent 55 land resources and 3 aerial’s, which achieved to stabilise the fire by Wednesday morning. However, they continue to water the perimeter to prevent the fire from reviving.