There is another fire blazing in the campo between el Pinell de Brai and across the mountain range called Sierra de Caballs which separates this village from Gandesa and Corbera dÉbre.

I have been following the news on Cat24 all afternoon, and the latest count is 120 hectares, and because of the wind it is going in the direction of Santa Madrona in Corbera, which is a very hstorical site from the Battle of the Ebro, the now existing ermita (hermitage) where I sometimes get the keys to celebrate family fiestas, is in danger of being destroyed.

This was used during the civil war as a field hospital, and the local people now use it for fiestas like the village paella and the harvest festival.

It will be a disaster for the local people as this is the first tragedy since the civil war.

I will try to keep everyone informed but I´m actually in Northern Aragon on business.

This is another disaster for Catalunya.

Jools   

Thanks for the concern but I think we'll all manage quite nicely.

planes and hellicopters busy getting water and flying overhead to spray the fire. Why oh why are farmers still  lighting fire, seems crazy to me. The fire brigade were out in Mora yesterday fighting a fire close to the old bridge. probably caused by a cigerette, as it was close to the verge. this summer  is certainly testing the firebrigade.. Well done boys, keep safe !!!

Makes you really angry when people like ourselves get a burning licence, and abide by the rules, while others, including some of our neighbours, are constantly having fires.
Even now they are having them, after the licence has finished, and also on Fiesta Days and weekends when they
shouldn't be.
I don't think they see any danger in anything!

It looks a nice building I can see why the locals or anybody else for that matter would be very upset if it were to perish because some irresponsible person discarding a cigarette.

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Ritaratbag wrote on Jun 15^th, 2012 at 9:36pm:

Makes you really angry when people like ourselves get a burning licence, and abide by the rules, while others, including some of our neighbours, are constantly having fires. Even now they are having them, after the licence has finished, and also on Fiesta Days and weekends when they shouldn't be. I don't think they see any danger in anything!

Just wanted to point out that licences in the Roquetes area were extended to 15th June ie yesterday so if you have seen anyone (like us) having a fire in that area recently it wouldn't have been illegal.  We burn very safely and only when there is no or very little wind.  If everyone left their olive prunings on their fincas over the Summer rather than burning them off I think that there would be an even bigger risk of fire from all the bone dry leaves and branches.

Anyway, the good news is that the fire is now under control and the bombers have done yet another good job.  Let's just all be as vigilant as possible over the coming weeks.

http://www.324.cat/noticia/1766832/terraalta/Els-bombers-continuen-treballant-en-lextincio-de-lincendi-a-Pinell-de-Brai-que-ja-esta-en-fase-de-control

wrote on Jun 16^th, 2012 at 7:21am:

It looks a nice building I can see why the locals or anybody else for that matter would be very upset if it were to perish because some irresponsible person discarding a cigarette.

That is very beautiful, isn't it?

My burning licence ran until the 15th of June and I understood that is the cutoof date(also if there was a weather event(wind) or particularly dry the Agentes Rural sent a text out rescinding licences for a 24hour period and repeating if necesary.) no more fires until october.
With the current conditions it's Sant Joan that worries me.
Bruixot

Thankfully the fire was extinguished during the night, another fantastic job well done by the brave fire fighters.

Apart from scrub land and inaccessible barrancos there wasn´t any threat to life or property.

Dont understand your comment though Nobrot!