Firefighters from the Generalitat (Spain) have been working since Wednesday to tackle a fierce forest fire. The blaze remains out of control this Thursday and has already ravaged more than 6,500 hectares. According to the authorities, the fire could potentially destroy nearly 20,000 hectares.
Rural officials report that manure from a farm in Torre de l'Espanyol is believed to have caught fire spontaneously. The authorities are already describing it as the worst fire in Catalonia since 1998.
Significant resources in the area
The head of the Generalitat’s fire service, David Borrell, said he could not “be optimistic” about bringing the fire under control and emphasised his concern. "The terrain is challenging; it presents numerous difficulties; the weather conditions are unfavourable; we feel overwhelmed and are working hard to meet our targets", he explained to Catalunya Ràdio.
At present, 90 ground crews and 15 air crews are fighting the fire, including command helicopters, firefighting aircraft, surveillance and attack aircraft, as well as seaplanes from the Ministry of Agriculture. The Military Emergency Unit arrived at dawn to assist with the fire-fighting efforts, with 120 soldiers and nine vehicles from the intervention battalion based in Zaragoza.