Isla calls for caution: "Fires aren't like they used to be; they give you goosebumps."

BarcelonaThe first major fire of the summer, burning in the regions of Noguera, Segarra and Urgell, has affected 5,300 hectares so far in the towns of Torrefeta and Florejacs, Vilanova de l'Aguda, Calabona, Oliola, and Agramunt. Firefighters continue working to extinguish the fire, which is stabilized, and rule out further fatalities: this Tuesday, the death of two men was confirmed in Coscó, in La Noguera. Throughout the night, firefighters inspected the fire area to rule out further casualties, and were also able to make progress in extinguishing efforts thanks to a lull in temperatures. "Today's fires are not like those of 20 years ago; they give you goosebumps; they are very dangerous fires," stated the President of the Generalitat (Catalan government), Salvador Illa, from the command center in Guissona. Isla called for caution and prevention due to the high temperatures still expected in the country.

Fire Chief David Borrell explained in a statement to Catalunya Ràdio that the plan for Wednesday is to stabilize the perimeter and secure the unburned areas "with heavy machinery and the invaluable support of the farmers." To this end, 30 fire crews and 150 personnel have been mobilized, and the plan is to free up some of the resources by midday to act on the perimeter where it didn't rain last night: "It's a complicated day; there's a high risk of fire," he acknowledged. According to firefighter sources, the head of the fire has been contained, and the priority is now the right flank, because if it breaks out, it could spread toward the Segre Valley. Above all, firefighters are trying to prevent flare-ups. Up to 130 firefighters continue working on the ground, and aerial resources have already taken off again.

According to ARA, the Fire Department has conducted a provisional count of buildings affected by the fire. In Renant (Noguera), they found a completely burned farmhouse and two damaged shelters. In Granollers de Segarra, a farmhouse was found, and in Vilamajor, another building. In Cabanabona (Noguera), a pig farm, a barn, and a farmhouse were burned. Two vehicles were also affected, one of them belonging to the two victims. A final report on the damage will be released on Wednesday. During the extinguishing efforts, two firefighters suffered minor injuries: one was hit by a spark in the eye, and the other was hit by wood from a burning barn.

Above all, it has burned agricultural land. In fact, President Illa has asserted that there is "too much forest" in Catalonia, and that in this fire they have been "lucky" because the rains have prevented this mass from burning and the fire from becoming much larger. "We must reflect as a country; we must invest more in the mosaic of agricultural and forest land," Illa said, adding that his government will work along these lines.

Top speed

The fire that originated in Torrefeta and Florajacs is a sixth-generation fire: the flames spread at a top speed of 28 kilometers per hour, one of the highest recorded for fires in Europe. Local winds generated around the fire reached 125 kilometers per hour, and the pyrocumulus cloud created by the high energy of the flames and the atmospheric conditions rose 14,000 meters before collapsing. Borrell has stated that they encountered a fire that exceeded the "extinguishing capabilities" of the firefighters.

It was especially in the north of the fire's origin where, due to the growth of very violent storms with very strong ascending speeds, the fire reached these speeds on the surface. This Wednesday, temperatures will again reach 40 degrees in Ponent, and the firefighters do not have the fire under control, but they do maintain it in this stabilization phase.

The fire yesterday forced the confinement of 20,000 residents in the municipalities of Vilanova de la Aguda, Artesa de Segre, Ponts, Agramunt, Guissona, Cabanabona, Oliola, Sanaüja, and Torrefeta until 11:30 p.m.