A brush fire declared this Sunday afternoon next to the Castillo de Montjuïc forced the evacuation of the premises for safety and the suspension of the cable car and funicular service. No personal injuries have been reported.
The fire started around 5:00 p.m. in a steep and difficult-to-access area of the mountain environment, which complicated extinction efforts in the first moments. To work on the focus, a helicopter from the Bombers de la Generalitat was also mobilized.
Ground and air deployment
In the operation participated eight units of the Bombers de Barcelona, with four water vehicles, three command vehicles and one ambulance. The device was also reinforced with the use of the drone service, which allowed to follow the evolution of the fire from the air at a complex access point.
The evacuation of Montjuïc Castle was carried out preventively while teams tried to stop the advance of the flames on the slope near the enclosure. At the same time, the cable car and funicular service was interrupted, with the expectation that both can return to normal this Monday.
Fire stabilized as evening fell
The Firefighters declared the fire stabilized after 19:00 hours, once its perimeter was controlled and the intensity of the fire reduced. The intervention then focused on securing the area and preventing re-ignitions.
This is the third fire recorded in the vicinity of Montjuïc mountain during this month of April. The two previous ones occurred in shantytowns in the area. In this case, the fire affected bushes in the immediate vicinity of the castle, in one of the most sensitive points of the mountain due to its orography and the usual influx of visitors.