Spain‑Portugal Wildfire Near Costa Brava Burns Over 2,000 Hectares

A forest fire ignited Friday morning near the municipality of La Bisbal d'Empordà in Catalonia, close to the tourist‑heavy Costa Brava. By Saturday the blaze had consumed between 1,280 and 2,200 hectares of vegetation. More than 400 firefighters, ten water‑dropping aircraft and a Spanish army emergency unit were deployed. About 150 residents, including 70 children from a holiday camp, were evacuated and authorities ordered ten nearby villages to stay indoors.

Catalan officials reported that strong winds worsened the blaze and that a man was arrested on suspicion of starting the fire with an angle grinder. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed concern on social media and urged caution as high temperatures persisted.

In neighboring Portugal, a separate wildfire in the north of the country prompted the activation of the EU civil‑protection mechanism and bilateral aid agreements with Spain and Morocco. Roughly 1,000 Portuguese firefighters, 300 vehicles and eight aircraft were mobilised to combat that fire, which had already scorched about 10,000 hectares and injured nine people.