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Gràcia responds to the fire with unity: the streets rally around Verdi after the blaze
What began as a fire on Calle Verdi in the early hours of Sunday has become a symbol of neighbourhood resistance.
The flames devoured part of the decoration inspired by the Mayan jungle, but the neighbourhood’s response was immediate: Gràcia does not give up.
Early in the morning, whole streets gave up some of their decorations to rebuild what had been lost. In Verdi, Princess Leia of Libertat, the Gaudí-style lizard from Perill, paintings from Sant Miquel and even a box of popcorn from Providència are already hanging. Other residents decided to cover their own creations as a show of support. The celebration came back to life with a collective mosaic of symbols.
‘The neighbourhood reacted within minutes. There were still embers and we were already putting up scaffolding together,’ recalls an emotional Albert Jiménez, from the Asociación de Vecinos de Verdi. For Nil Sabatés, a local bookseller, the solidarity has been ‘stronger than the fire’.
The Fundació Festa Major de Gràcia warns that the fire reflects recurring antisocial behaviour, but at the same time celebrates the community response: ‘Covering months of work out of solidarity is an incredible gesture.’
Gràcia has made it clear: neither fire nor destruction will stop the celebration. Here, the street does not burn; it is rebuilt together.