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The Senet fire forces route closures and warns hikers
Anyone planning to visit the Pirineo in the coming days should reconsider their plans. The fire that broke out in Senet, within the municipality of Vilaller (Lleida), has led to restricted access to several high mountain routes and prompted Protección Civil to advise people to avoid the area while firefighting efforts continue.
The fire has already scorched around 80 hectares and keeps a wide mountain perimeter under surveillance. The restrictions particularly affect routes crossing the Conangles and Bessiberri valleys, as well as various ravines near the Noguera Ribagorçana river, which are heavily used by hikers during the summer.
Civil Protection has sent alert messages to mobile phones in the area around the fire to report the risk and recommend that nobody enter the affected areas. In addition, firefighters have asked people who are still within the perimeter of around 2,460 hectares to leave the area as quickly as possible and follow the instructions of the emergency services.
The weather forecast adds uncertainty to the operation. Storms forecast for the coming hours could alter the course of the fire and encourage the formation of pyrocumulus clouds, large clouds generated by the fire’s intense heat that can alter winds and cause sudden changes in the direction of the flames.
The characteristics of the terrain mean that much of the operation must focus on aerial resources. The steep slope and difficulty of gaining access by land complicate the work of firefighting teams, which are trying to prevent the blaze from advancing towards particularly sensitive areas such as the Boí valley and the Cavallers area.
Although the causes of the fire are still being investigated, the main hypothesis is that it may have started after a lightning strike during a stormy episode. Authorities are continuously monitoring the fire’s evolution to adapt the operation according to weather conditions.
Firefighters remind people that if they encounter a forest fire while on a route and cannot leave the area safely, they should seek shelter in an open or rocky space, move away from vegetation and follow emergency-services instructions at all times. While the restrictions remain in place, they recommend checking access conditions before setting off on any excursion in the Pyrenees.