A forest fire has broken out in northeastern Spain, about 100 kilometers west of Barcelona. The Catalan Forest Service reported on Sunday that the fires have so far reduced 1,100 hectares of forest and farmland to ash.
Fire can spread easily due to high temperatures of about 30 degrees and extreme drought. There is a possibility that winds that usually pick up in the area in the middle of the day will further fan the fire. Up to 5,000 hectares of nature are directly threatened.
The fire broke out on Saturday noon of an unknown cause in the municipality of Santa Coloma de Keralte. Since then, about 80 people in the area have been forced to leave their homes. According to local media, this is the largest wildfire in forested Catalonia this year. Also, parts of Barcelona have already arrived.
In addition to the local fire brigade and forest fire units, Spanish soldiers have been deployed since Sunday morning in an effort to control the fire. Meanwhile, the authorities are asking farmers in the area to plow their fields as quickly as possible to provide barriers to fire.
Last weekend, a forest fire north of the Costa Brava destroyed 415 hectares of forest in the Cap de Creos Natural Park.
