Twenty years after the Empordà fires the forest remains dirty
Now 20 years ago, during a heatwave, dry vegetation due to lack of rain, and a tramontana wind that lasted for two weeks, nearly 2,000 hectares burned in the Empordà in a series of nine fires between August 3 and 7. Most were caused by human activity, as are 90% of the fires recorded in Catalonia. The largest of that 2006 episode, the one that started in Ventalló and burned about a thousand hectares across several municipalities between Alt and Baix Empordà, according to data from the Agents Rurals, was intentional. There were no personal injuries, but there was material damage, and it sparked a debate about improving forest management, restoring the mosaic landscape, and protecting residential areas. These proposals are repeated every time there is a major fire, like the one in early July that burned about 2,200 hectares in the Gavarres massif and has so far become the most significant this summer in Catalonia.
