The Girona regions have recorded 53 forest fires this summer that have affected 562.40 hectares. The campaign has been longer than usual, from June 1 to September 30, due to the high risk of fire as a result of climate change.
The data was presented this Friday during the closing meeting of the Special Emergency Plan for Forest Fires of Catalonia (INFOCAT) for the demarcation. The Government delegate to Girona, Laia Cañigueral, recalled in the words of the Minister of the Interior, Joan Ignasi Elena, that "despite the complexity of the campaign due to drought, low rainfall or high temperatures", it has been closed " with fewer fires thanks to the sum of our efforts.
In this sense, Cañigueral has explained the relevance of the historic investment of 74 MEUR in the 2022-2025 forest fire prevention plan of the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda. "The Government has multiplied by six the investment in fire prevention, going from 3 MEUR per year to 18 MEUR" and added that "it is evident that there are many factors that must be taken into account when talking about fires, but prevention and preparing forests to face the climate emergency is one that is proving to be indispensable."
The Government delegate has also emphasized the importance of the coordination of the emergency bodies "if we close the campaign with these results, it has been due to the monitoring, strategy and coordination capacity of the Generalitat Fire Department, which they have prioritized fires with more potential versus those that did not have as much.
During the summer season Civil Protection has activated the INFOCAT Plan four times in the alert phase (twenty days) in the Girona district and the pre-alert phase has been activated five times (five days). To avoid risks on the most critical days, the body of Rural Agents activated level 3 of the Alpha Plan and measures were taken such as access restrictions to massifs.
The massif of Montgrí (Baix Empordà) had restricted access for six days (from July 17 to 20 and from August 5 to 8); that of Cabo de Creus (Alt Empordà) for ten days (from 17 to 20 July, from 24 to 26 July and from 3 to 8 August); and that of Albera (Alt Empordà) for eight days (from 17 to 20 July, from 24 to 26 July and from 5 to 8 August).
The forest fire that started on August 4 in Portbou (Alt Empordà), which burned a total of 532.4 hectares, has been the most important thing that has happened this summer in Catalonia. The strong north wind prevented the aerial means from working during the first 24 hours, but, even so, the Firefighters were able to stabilize it the next day at dusk.
The prevention actions carried out in the fire area, previously planned for PRINCALB (Strategic Infrastructure Project of the Albera Massif and adjacent area), were key. In fact, the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda this year 2023 has carried out forestry work to clear reforestation on an area of 22 hectares.
The forestry work and grass maintenance carried out in strategic areas to reduce fuel facilitated the Firefighters' actions and extinguishing maneuvers and helped contain the fronts, preventing the fire from having a larger perimeter.
In the Portbou fire, the SEM assisted fourteen lightly injured people (seven firefighters and seven civilians) and four transfers to Health Centers (two at the Figueres Hospital and two at CAPE Llançà (Alt Empordà)). The other action that the SEM has carried out during the campaign was the assistance and transfer of a firefighter affected by the Arbúcies forest fire on August 25.
In addition to the Portbou forest fire, throughout the season the Firefighters have had to deal with fires with great potential that, despite ending up affecting small areas, could have easily grown and put a high number of people at risk. .
The tasks of the units of the Special Fire Prevention Group (GEPIF) located in Figueres have also been of great help, which during the summer have focused on surveillance and first intervention in fires and the harvesting campaign, exclusively designed for support the peasantry in the harvesting of cereal.
As for the Mossos d'Esquadra, during the meeting there was an impact on the police deployments they have carried out to guarantee citizen safety, control access to the fire perimeters and traffic regulation.
However, the Government delegate wanted to "thank and value" the efforts of public servants and all the people who are part of the security and emergency forces, but also for the important task of the ADF and volunteers, which "with cooperation and planning have done a great job.
Cañigueral wanted to remember, however, that with climate change "we cannot let our guard down" and that "we will have to continue to be vigilant because there can be serious fires at any time of the year."
Also participating in the closing meeting of the INFOCAT Plan were, among others, the director of the Territorial Services for Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda, Elisabet Sànchez; the inspector of the Fire Department of the Girona Emergency Region; Jordi Martín; the mayor of the Mossos d'Esquadra in Girona, Xavier Domènech; the acting regional head of the Corps of Rural Agents of Girona, Josep Vilar; the territorial deputy chief of SEM Girona, Albert Gil and the person responsible for Civil Protection in Girona, Albert Perramón.
