Costa Brava & Catalonia Wildfires

A wildfire that ignited on July 3, 2026 near La Bisbal d'Empordà in the Girona province of Catalonia has scorched more than 2,300 hectares of forest along Spain's Costa Brava, with a perimeter stretching roughly 40 kilometers. Catalan authorities classified the blaze as a 'sixth-generation' megafire because of its extreme intensity, its ability to generate its own weather system, and its rapid, wind-driven advance across tinder-dry vegetation baked by an ongoing Mediterranean heatwave.

Around 12,000 people across at least 10 municipalities — including the beach resort of Platja d'Aro and communities near the Costa Brava coastline — were ordered to shelter in place, while approximately 150 people, including about 70 children at a summer holiday camp, were evacuated as flames approached populated areas. Authorities fear that up to 10,000 hectares could ultimately be affected if hot, dry winds persist. A man was arrested on suspicion of accidentally starting the fire while using an angle grinder along a roadside.

More than 200 firefighters from Catalonia's Bombers de la Generalitat, backed by aerial water-bombers, are battling the blaze. Spain's Military Emergencies Unit (UME) deployed 200 soldiers and 60 vehicles to reinforce the response, and Catalan president Salvador Illa requested additional central-government support. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pledged full cooperation from Madrid, and the European Union activated the Copernicus satellite mapping system to track the fire's progression. France offered assistance via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism as multiple wildfires burn simultaneously across Spain, Portugal, and Greece. Humanitarian organizations including the Spanish Red Cross are providing shelter, food, and psychosocial support to evacuees and confined residents.