A fire declared this Tuesday afternoon in the north of Collserola, near the Barcelona neighborhood of Canyelles, has forced the preventive confinement of the residents of Torre Baró and Ciutat Meridiana due to the presence of smoke. The initial data from Agents Rurals places the affected area at about 25 hectares of forest land, while firefighters work with ground and aerial means.
The fire started around 3:20 PM in an area of scrubland located above the Alta de Roquetes road, heading towards Sant Cugat. The column of smoke has been visible from various points in Barcelona and nearby municipalities.
Civil Protection has sent an ES-Alert notice to the population of Torre Baró and Ciutat Meridiana to order the preventive confinement. The recommendation is to stay indoors, close doors and windows, and avoid going outside while the smoke affects the area.
The Special Emergency Plan for Forest Fires in Catalonia, Infocat, remains activated in alert phase.
About 25 hectares affected
The provisional data from Agents Rurals places the affected area at around 25 hectares.
The fire is advancing through a vegetation area in the Collserola surroundings, and the firefighting teams are concentrating part of their efforts on the right flank.
The operation involves personnel from the Bombers de Barcelona and the Bombers de la Generalitat, with ground units, aerial means, and personnel from the Grup d'Actuacions Forestals (GRAF). Europa Press initially reported the deployment of five aerial means and three water vehicles from the Generalitat, along with municipal personnel.
Traffic cuts in the area of the fire
The Guàrdia Urbana has closed several accesses near the affected area.
The cuts affect the road from Horta to Cerdanyola, the road of the Collserola Cemetery, and the Alta de les Roquetes road, according to information released by the Barcelona City Council.
The emergency phone 112 had initially received 380 calls related to the fire shortly after it was declared. Subsequent sources raise the number of alerts, so this is a figure that continues to be updated as the emergency progresses.
Second fire in Collserola in less than two weeks
The fire this Tuesday is the second significant fire recorded in Collserola in less than two weeks.
On August 14, another fire was declared in the vicinity of Sant Pere Màrtir that affected around ten hectares of forest land and forced the preventive confinement of neighbors from Can Caralleu.
For that episode, the Urban Guard later arrested a man as the alleged author of the fire.
The City Council of Barcelona had deactivated just a week ago the Municipal Action Plan for forest fires that was launched due to that fire.
Emergency teams are maintaining this Tuesday the device deployed in the north of Collserola while the extinction tasks and the monitoring of the evolution of the smoke over the nearby neighborhoods continue.