A wildfire broke out in Collserola Park, close to Barcelona, prompting evacuations and a major emergency response. Authorities activated the highest fire risk alert as intense heat complicates firefighting efforts.
A major wildfire erupted on Friday afternoon in the Collserola Natural Park, on the outskirts of Barcelona, sending a thick column of smoke visible across the city and much of the metropolitan area. The fire, which started near the Carretera de les Aigües around 15:30, quickly spread through the Sant Pere Màrtir hillside, prompting a rapid deployment of emergency services.
Twenty firefighting units were mobilized to contain the blaze, with ten crews from the Barcelona Fire Department and another ten from the Generalitat, which also dispatched a helicopter to support ground operations. The affected area lies close to both the Catalan capital and nearby municipalities such as Esplugues, raising concerns about the proximity to residential zones and public spaces.
As a precaution, the Esplugues City Council ordered the evacuation of the Espai Mireia restaurant and urged residents to avoid the area to facilitate emergency work. The Barcelona City Council, responding to the escalating situation, activated its municipal wildfire action plan after the Generalitat raised the Alfa Plan to level 3 in the Barcelonès region, reflecting the very high risk driven by the ongoing heatwave.
Emergency services reported receiving nearly a thousand calls from citizens within an hour, as the fire and its smoke plume became widely visible. The rapid public response highlights the heightened anxiety during periods of extreme heat, when the risk of wildfires increases sharply. Similar concerns have been seen elsewhere in Spain, such as when emergency teams evacuated historic sites in Huesca due to advancing flames.
Collserola Park is a vital green space for Barcelona and its surrounding towns, covering over 8,000 hectares and serving as a buffer against urban sprawl. Wildfires in this area not only threaten natural habitats but also pose risks to nearby communities and infrastructure. The current heatwave affecting Catalonia has led to the activation of maximum fire risk protocols, with authorities warning that even small incidents can escalate rapidly under such conditions. In recent years, Spain has faced increasingly severe wildfire seasons, often linked to prolonged periods of high temperatures and drought. The situation in Collserola underscores the ongoing challenges for emergency services and local governments in managing fire risk during extreme weather events.
