Costa Brava wildfire destroys 750 hectares and forces 12,000 people to stay indoors
A tramontana-fuelled wildfire has burned about 750 hectares on the Costa Brava (Girona), forcing 12,000 residents in several towns to stay indoors. In the area, another blaze in Vilavenut is hitting farmland.
Published on 03/07/2026 - 19:00 GMT+2•Updated 21:14
The flames of an out-of-control wildfire on the Costa Brava have devastated around 750 hectares of forest and have left some 12,000 people under stay-at-home orders in several municipalities in Girona.
The regional government of Catalonia has requested support from Spain's Military Emergency Unit (UME) to fight the Empordà blaze, which broke out in La Bisbal d’Empordà and may, according to Rural Agents, have been sparked by mechanical works on a road.
The president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, has warned about the scale of the fire and urged 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 sent up 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 due to the reach of mobile phone masts.
At a holiday camp affected by the confinement orders there are 150 children, all of whom are reported to be safe. In the province of Girona, another fire in Vilavenut has led to residents in the villages of Vilavenut and Palol de la Farga being told to stay indoors, with alerts sent to the public.
Tramontana wind and road closures
Fire crews have deployed more than 50 units, including eleven aircraft, to battle the La Bisbal fire, which is being driven by the tramontana wind and has generated secondary outbreaks in the Gavarres. The fire, which was reported at 09:17, could be affected by a shift to a sea breeze, so crews are working on its right flank to prevent it from spreading towards the coast.
The Vilavenut fire, which broke out around midday, is burning through farmland and is being tackled with three aerial resources and 17 ground units, as well as tractors ploughing the land to halt 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 fire
On X, numerous users have shared shocked videos and images of the blaze in the Gavarres range and Baix Empordà, expressing their solidarity with the fire service and local residents.
The head of the Generalitat fire service, David Borrell, has warned that the fire's right flank and leading edge could move towards built-up areas on the coast. Borrell cautioned that the forecast change in wind makes it essential to step up surveillance of the fire's pyrocumulus cloud, a sixth-generation blaze, characterised by its rapid spread, enormous destructive power and unpredictable behaviour.
