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A fire in Collserola burns 25 hectares and confines two Barcelona neighbourhoods
A forest fire declared this Tuesday in Collserola has completely changed the afternoon in northern Barcelona. The fire is provisionally affecting around 25 hectares and heavy smoke has forced the confinement of residents in Torre Baró and Ciutat Meridiana, while traffic closures complicate mobility in Nou Barris.
The flames began at around 15:20 in an area of scrubland near Canyelles, above the Alta de les Roquetes road. From there, the fire has advanced uphill towards the interior of Collserola and raised a column of smoke visible from numerous points in Barcelona and the metropolitan area.
Protecció Civil has sent an ES-Alert to phones in the area asking the public to remain indoors, close doors and windows and avoid going out. The confinement of Torre Baró and Ciutat Meridiana has been ordered mainly because of the smoke, not because the flames have reached homes.
The firefighting operation jointly mobilises Bombers de Barcelona and Bombers de la Generalitat, with ground and air resources working on the perimeter. The fire has also affected an electrical infrastructure within the Collserola area, while teams focus their efforts on stopping its advance and protecting nearby inhabited areas.
The operation has had an immediate effect on traffic. The Guardia Urbana has closed the Horta-to-Cerdanyola road, the Cementiri de Collserola road and the Alta de les Roquetes road to facilitate the passage of emergency services. There have also been disruptions to public transport in the area.
The situation is particularly complicating travel for residents of the mountain neighbourhoods, where there are fewer road alternatives than in other parts of Barcelona. The aim of the closures is to prevent vehicles and onlookers from approaching the fire and to keep clear the access routes needed by firefighters, police and health services.
The fire comes just eleven days after the blaze declared on 14 August in Sant Pere Màrtir, also within Collserola, which affected around ten hectares. That episode likewise required preventive measures because of the smoke and ended with the arrest of a suspect while the origin of the flames was being investigated.
Late in the afternoon, the priority remains firefighting and the movement of smoke over the northern neighbourhoods. For residents of Torre Baró and Ciutat Meridiana, the image of the day is of closed windows, blocked access routes and helicopters working over a mountain that is burning again in the middle of August.