Illa requests the intervention of the EMU after the Paüls fire (Tarragona) worsened due to the wind.

The President of the Generalitat (Catalan Government), Salvador Illa, requested this Monday the collaboration of the Military Emergency Unit (UME) in extinguishing the fire in Paüls (Tarragona) due to its worsening due to wind. The fire has already affected some 1,500 hectares of forest, much of it in the Natural Park, Efe reports.

The most active part of the fire is the upper area on the right flank, between Paüls and Alfara de Carles . Its progress is uncertain due to wind conditions, according to the Generalitat Fire Department, which is urging people not to travel through the area under any circumstances.

Specifically, wind gusts have reached up to 90 kilometres per hour , a fact that has forced the expansion of the confinement zone to the Reguers neighbourhood of Tortosa, which is thus added to the neighbourhoods of Remolins, Bítem and Jesus and the other confined municipalities of Aldover, Alfara de Carlos, Paüls, Xerta, Tivenys and Roquetes (Tarragona), the Bombers reported in a message on 'X' collected by Europa Press.

They added that the C-12, TV-3422, TV-3541, T-301, and N-230 highways are closed in sections near the fire zone and that the perimeter has expanded in several places, so the force is working to prevent the fire from crossing the Ebro River and entering the Serra de Cardó.

The Military Emergency Unit (UME), which the Generalitat (Catalan Government) has requested assistance as the fire worsens, is heading toward the blaze with six vehicles and bulldozers.

The Fire Brigade also reports that there are two secondary outbreaks, one of them on the other side of the Ebro, next to Tivenys , has been stabilized and a second, on the left flank, on the other side of the TV-3541, could open up a new potential of 1,000 hectares, it is also stabilized.

Catalan President Salvador Illa announced on social media that the wind, with gusts of 90 kilometers per hour at the highest points, is making it difficult to stabilize the fire, and so, at the request of the Generalitat Fire Department, the collaboration of UME personnel has been requested to work on extinguishing it.

"My thanks to all the emergency services and bodies for their tireless work," Illa said, urging the personnel involved in the firefighting efforts to exercise "maximum caution."

New lockdowns and evacuations

Civil Protection has ordered the lockdown of all municipalities and towns between Paüls, Alfara de Carlos, Els Reguers, Bítem, Santa Rosa, Tivenys, and Xerta. Highways C-12, TV-3422, TV-3541, T-301, and N-230 are closed in sections near the area, and people are asked to stay away from the fire.

The lockdown order has been extended to the Reguers neighborhood of Tortosa at around 1:00 a.m., including the Remolins, Bítem, and Jesus neighborhoods. Police officers are also evacuating farmhouses in Raval de Jesús and bringing people back to Tortosa.

Although the lockdown had been relaxed in the afternoon, another Es-Alert message was sent late tonight requesting the lockdown of Tivenys and for the residents of Xerta and Aldover to return to their homes and not in the town center, according to Civil Protection, which has elevated the Infocat plan to emergency status due to the worsening fire conditions. Other municipalities under lockdown include Paüls and Roquetes.

The flames also forced the evacuation of around 50 people from the Toscar residential area in Alfara de Carles. In Xerta, a gas station was also rescued from the flames.

Firefighting efforts will continue throughout the night with 86 crews and more than 250 personnel, according to the Government.

In any case, the potential impact of the fires remains below 3,500 hectares.

"High intensity" fire

Firefighters do not expect to be able to stabilize the Paüls fire until early tomorrow afternoon. The fire is experiencing "high intensity" due to the strong winds blowing in the area, a situation further aggravated by the difficult terrain.

Efforts are now focused on containing the left flank with the section of the TV-3541 road between Paüls and Xerta, as well as the headwaters with the C-12.

"It's a good place to station vehicles during a fire, but it has the added difficulty of being very inaccessible," explained Inspector David Borrell , head of the Catalan government's fire department.

So far, the fire has burned approximately 1,500 hectares of land, mainly forest, and has caused damage to a chicken farm and the gardens of two houses in Aldover. The municipality with the largest burn area is Alfara de Carles.

For this Tuesday, the Catalan Fire Department has activated the mobilization of off-duty personnel in anticipation of an extraordinary active response. Induction is mandatory, and firefighters must report to their stations as soon as possible.