Western Catalonia's Noguera county wildfire stabilized

The fire that started in Àger, in western Catalonia's Noguera county north of Lleida, on Monday was stabilized on Tuesday morning after affecting around 50 hectares.

"'Stabilized' does not mean it's been extinguished, it means it's not spreading," Bernat Solé, a Catalan government official in Lleida, said. "Firefighters are still working on it."

Firefighters – 32 land units and 7 aerial crews – are on the scene and say the site of the blaze, on the side of a mountain, is particularly difficult to access, making their work all the more complicated.

Imatges aèries de l'incendi d'Àger. #bomberscat hi hem estat treballant de matinada amb personal que va arribar-hi en helicòpter. Es tracta d'una zona d'alta muntanya i de molt difícil accés. pic.twitter.com/EFctWQ2IKA

— Bombers (@bomberscat) July 19, 2022

The fire is thought to have been caused by a helicopter that accidentally hit an electric cable while transporting building materials to a construction site beside nearby train tracks.

Central Catalonia fires

The fires that broke out in central Catalonia on Sunday and Monday in Pont de Vilomara and Manresa respectively were both stabilized on Monday evening.

Pont de Vilomara, by far the most devastating, burned 1,750 hectares of forest land while also reaching a number of houses. Hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes and many more were under stay-at-home orders which have since been lifted.

Another smaller blaze started not far from there, in an old landfill on the outskirts of Manresa, affecting some 50 hectares.  

Heatwave restrictions

The ban on outdoor activities, including camping or hiking in natural parks, announced last Thursday to prevent wildfires has been extended. 

In place in 275 municipalities, the number of cities and towns affected by the ban will be updated on Thursday at midnight, when authorities will also decide whether the measures should remain in place.

"The situation is very complicated here and across the country," Catalan interior minister Joan Ignasi Elena said on Monday. "Even when the temperature drops slightly, it is still above what is normal for this time of the year."

Pla Alfa per avui 19 de juliol pic.twitter.com/wGzfn7LTal

— Agents Rurals (@agentsruralscat) July 19, 2022

Almost all Catalan counties are at high or very high risk of wildfires.