Wildfires rage in Artesa de Segre and Corbera d'Ebre amid extreme temperatures

Firefighters are working to put out two major wildfires that broke out in the west and south of Catalonia on Wednesday.

Over 60 firefighter crews have been battling a blaze near the western town of Baldomar in Artesa de Segre since the alarm was raised around 1.30pm. So far, as of Wednesday evening, the fire has affected 500 hectares, but firefighters confirmed it could even reach 20,000 hectares. 

Meanwhile 30 crews have been dispatched to tackle a fire in Corbera d'Ebre, Terra Alta in the south, affecting 250 hectares.

Artesa de Segre

Affecting, as of 6:30pm, around 500 hectares, Catalonia's Civil Protection agency has evacuated the thirty residents of the nearby small village of La Clua as a precaution.

Imatges #IFBaldomar

Actualització dispositiu extinció #bomberscat: 61 dotacions (9 de les quals #MAER) pic.twitter.com/pM9xRFqVqI

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Currently, Baldomar is not in danger of being affected and no evacuation order has been given there.

Firefighters are currently focused on the right flank of the fire, with the head and left flank causing fewer problems.

The fire is affecting the Serra del Montsec Area of Natural Interest, with local councilor Cristina Dil saying that the wind pushed the fire immediately towards the mountains and the Ariet valley.

Dil explained that when the fire started, the temperature was close to 40C. This, along with the drought and the wind have led to a fire that, so far, has extended to 150 hectares.

The alarm was initially raised at 1.11pm. Of the initial 55 firefighting crews, 27 were water trucks, 10 were command units and 9 were airborne.

High minimum temperatures and extreme drought

The fire in Artesa de Segre broke out on the very day that the Catalan interior minister was giving an overview of this summer's forest fire management campaign, which will involve more than 5,000 professionals, 40 aircraft and 16 drones.

Around 1,200 ground vehicles are available to put out forest fires, while the 40 aircraft includes 24 helicopters, ten surveillance and attack aircraft and two seaplanes.

"We are facing one of the toughest and longest campaigns in recent years. For a long time, we have seen little rain and extraordinary heat, and now we have very high minimum temperatures and extreme drought," Joan Ignasi Elena explained at the event at Sabadell Airport, just north of Barcelona.

"We had a dry winter, on top of another winter," Elena warned, increasing the risk of fires.

A total of 285 forest fires have already been recorded this year up to June, burning 607 hectares of forest, the highest figure since 2012.

"So far this year, there have been 285 forest fires, most of which have been resolved very quickly thanks to the collaboration of the public and the fire and emergency services, but we are really feeling it and it will be a difficult year," the minister warned. He asks that the public be aware of the dangers posed by human activity in woodland areas.  

From January 1 to June 12, firefighters worked on 2,748 incidents, higher than during the same period in 2021 (2,272 incidents), 2020 (1,207) and 2019 (2,343).