One arrested over Costa Brava wildfire that burns 1,280 hectares: 12,000 confined

Published on 03/07/2026 - 19:00 GMT+2•Updated

21:24

A man has been arrested on suspicion of starting the La Bisbal d’Empordà (Girona) wildfire while working with an angle grinder by the roadside. The blaze remains out of control, fanned by the tramontana wind. The flames have ravaged around 1,280 hectares of forest and have forced around 12,000 people in several municipalities in the province of Girona to remain indoors.

The Government of Catalonia has requested support from the Military Emergency Unit (UME) to fight the Empordà wildfire, which broke out in La Bisbal d’Empordà and, according to the Rural Agents, may have been started by mechanical works on a road.

The president of the regional government, Salvador Illa, has warned about the scale of the wildfire and has called on people to follow the authorities’ instructions to the letter, while the Generalitat has advised residents in the Barcelona area to avoid travelling to Baix Empordà, Gironès and Pla de l'Estany to facilitate firefighting operations.

Preventive confinement and mobile alerts

The La Bisbal fire, still active and out of control after entering the Gavarres massif, has produced a huge column of smoke and led to the preventive confinement of several municipalities in Empordà, affecting around 12,000 people. In addition, some 40,000 people have received Es-Alert mobile warnings because of the coverage of the mobile phone masts.

At a holiday camp affected by the confinement measures there are 150 children, all of whom are reported to be safe and well. In the province of Girona, another fire in Vilavenut has forced residents in the villages of Vilavenut and Palol de la Farga to stay indoors, with alerts sent to the population.

Tramontana wind and road closures

Firefighters have deployed more than fifty units, including eleven aircraft, to tackle the La Bisbal wildfire, which is being driven by the tramontana wind and has sparked secondary outbreaks in the Gavarres area. The fire, reported at 09:17, could be affected by a shift to an onshore sea breeze, so crews are working on its right flank to prevent it spreading towards the coast.

The Vilavenut fire, which broke out around midday, is advancing through farmland and is being fought with three aerial resources and 17 ground units, as well as tractors ploughing the land to slow the flames. The fires have also forced the closure of several roads, including the C-66 at Palafrugell and routes in Cornellà del Terri, Vilademuls, La Bisbal d’Empordà, Calonge, Banyoles and Llagostera.

A sixth-generation wildfire

On X, many users have shared harrowing videos and images of the fire in the Gavarres mountains and Baix Empordà, expressing solidarity with firefighters and local residents.

The head of the Catalan fire service, David Borrell, has warned that the right flank and the head of the fire could move towards built-up coastal areas. Borrell has stressed that the forecast change in wind direction makes it essential to step up monitoring of the fire’s pyrocumulus cloud, describing it as a sixth-generation fire, marked by its rapid spread, enormous destructive power and unpredictable behaviour.