Barcelona firefighters stabilize 45-hectare Collserola wildfire and lift local lockdowns

Containment and active hotspots

Emergency services stabilized the wildfire in Collserola Natural Park on Wednesday morning, 26 August 2026. The blaze started around 15:00 on Tuesday near the Canyelles neighbourhood in Barcelona's Nou Barris district, burning 45 hectares of woodland and scrub. Fire crews from Barcelona and the Generalitat worked through the night to establish a perimeter around the area, aided by dropping temperatures and higher humidity. Secondary hotspots persist in a bowl-shaped terrain between Torre Baro and Ciutat Meridiana, prompting continuous monitoring before midday heat and wind. Director of Bombers de Barcelona Sebastià Massagué explained the ongoing operations at the command centre.

We want to reinforce the perimeter and the secondary hotspots. We have to be prudent. Hours of work remain, but we have it perimetred.

Evacuations and neighbourhood lockdowns

The fire forced authorities to order the confinement of around 15,000 residents across the Torre Baro and Ciutat Meridiana neighbourhoods on Tuesday afternoon. Civil Protection issued two EsAlert mobile notifications instructing residents to keep windows and doors shut due to heavy smoke and ash. Emergency crews evacuated 35 people from approximately 30 houses on Castellvi and Llica streets closest to the forest line. Barcelona City Council raised the Municipal Action Plan to the Emergency phase on Tuesday evening as the fire spread across 35 hectares. Officials lifted the confinement orders and permitted all 35 evacuated residents to return to their homes on Wednesday morning.

Operational deployment and swine fever protocols

The emergency response deployed approximately 210 personnel on Tuesday, including 17 Barcelona fire units and 60 Generalitat units with roughly 160 firefighters. Aerial resources withdrew at nightfall and rejoined ground operations on Wednesday morning to reinforce perimeter lines. The operation required road closures on the cemetery road, Carretera Alta de Roquetes, and the route connecting Horta to Cerdanyola, alongside temporary metro station closures in the two affected neighbourhoods. Because the fire perimeter intersects a control zone for African swine fever declared in November 2025, workers in protective suits disinfected emergency vehicle tyres at the forward command post. Barcelona Deputy Mayor for Safety Albert Batlle commented on the persistent fire risk in the city's mountain border.

It is a delicate area in the mountain neighbourhoods. We have had two serious incidents in the last three weeks, and therefore we must redouble our vigilance here. We are monitoring developments in the coming hours.

Prior incidents and environmental conditions

Agentes Rurales are investigating the origin of the fire, which prompted 380 emergency calls to the 112 dispatch line in its first 30 minutes. The Collserola mountain range experienced another fire on 14 August 2026, which burned 10 hectares in the Can Caralleu area and led to the arrest of a suspected arsonist. The affected area in the latest fire grew from an initial estimate of 25 hectares on Tuesday afternoon to 35 hectares by Tuesday evening, before reaching 45 hectares on Wednesday morning. Firefighters are maintaining defensive lines throughout Wednesday afternoon to prevent flare-ups when high temperatures and coastal breezes peak.