Catalonia's fire service faced fresh wildfire emergencies this weekend after a week of large blazes, with new fires in Mont-roig del Camp, in Tarragona province, and near Fontllonga in Camarasa, La Noguera, forcing local restrictions and disrupting travel.

For residents and summer travellers, the immediate effects were concrete: a housing development in Mont-roig del Camp was confined, the R16 rail line was cut, and roads were closed, while in Fontllonga the village was ordered to stay indoors as around 100 Bombers de la Generalitat, the Catalan regional fire service, were deployed. The flare-ups came even after a drop in temperatures on Saturday, with another heatwave forecast next week.

Mont-roig del Camp fire brought rail and road closures

According to Europa Press, a wildfire in Mont-roig del Camp on Friday forced the confinement of a housing development and the suspension of the R16 line. The source material states that roads were also closed as emergency services worked on the fire.

The incident added to pressure in a municipality that had already seen major disruption from another emergency this year, when an AP-7 closure in Mont-roig del Camp lasted 13 hours after a lorry fire, according to Bombers de la Generalitat reporting carried by ARA. The current wildfire is a separate incident.

  • Place affected: Mont-roig del Camp, Tarragona
  • Immediate consequence: confinement of a housing development
  • Transport impact: R16 rail line cut and roads closed

Camarasa fire confined Fontllonga residents

A second wildfire broke out between the Camarasa reservoir and the village of Fontllonga, in La Noguera, according to the source material. Around 100 firefighters were deployed there.

Reporting cited from Diari de Tarragona and El País says the fire led to the confinement of Fontllonga. El Periódico later reported that Bombers had brought the Camarasa fire under control and that the confinement was lifted, after the fire entered a natural area.

  • Place affected: Fontllonga, in the municipality of Camarasa, Lleida province
  • Emergency response: about 100 firefighters deployed
  • Known impact: residents ordered to remain indoors during the incident

Week of major fires across Catalonia

These new incidents followed a larger wildfire near La Bisbal d'Empordà in Girona province, where the Catalan government had confined 12,000 residents to their homes before lifting the order on Sunday, according to reporting based on official updates. That fire burned 2,300 hectares, destroyed eight houses and injured 11 people, including five civilians, according to The Local, citing the Catalan Fire Service and regional authorities.

The same source said more than 500 people worked overnight on that Girona blaze, including firefighters, the Military Emergency Unit, volunteers from the Forest Defence Group and farmers. The municipalities affected by the confinement included La Bisbal d'Empordà, Llagostera, Santa Cristina d'Aro, Forallac and Calonge i Sant Antoni.

"We are maintaining restrictions inside the fire perimeter, and residents will need to coordinate with the Mossos d'Esquadra to gain access," said Jordi Marin, head of the Girona fire service, after the wider stay-at-home order was lifted.

For people living inside active fire perimeters or travelling through affected areas, the advice from authorities has been to follow Civil Protection and police instructions, as access restrictions, confinements and transport cuts can change quickly with wind, heat and smoke conditions.

Primary sources: govern.cat. Reported by thelocal.es, Ben Pawlowski, dhapress.com, inspain.news, S.V.R., elmundo.es, europapress.es, Por Newsroom Infobae Agregar Infobae en Agrega Infobae a tus medios preferidos en Google, rac1.cat, Bombers de la Generalitat, Albert Diumenjó Segalà, diaridetarragona.com, Judit Bertran, El País, russpain.com, elperiodico.com, catalannews.com, Diari ARA.