A huge wildfire has erupted near a British tourist hotspot, leading to the lockdown of a dozen municipalities in the busy area. The blaze broke out near the tourist hotspot of Costa Brava in northeastern Spain, which attracts huge numbers of tourists every summer.

The fire started in the morning near the town of La Bisbal d'Empordà, close to Girona, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Mediterranean coast.The Catalan regional government has requested support from Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit (UME) to fight the Empordà wildfire, which broke out in La Bisbal d’Empordà and may have been sparked by mechanical works on a road, according to the Rural Agents. "The difficulty is that the fire will not be static ," David Borrell, the head of the Catalan fire service, told local reporters.

The president of the regional government, Salvador Illa, has warned of the scale of the fire and has urged people to follow the authorities’ instructions, while the Generalitat has advised residents in the Barcelona area to avoid travelling to Baix Empordà, Gironès and Pla de l'Estany to facilitate firefighting operations.

More than 200 firefighters, supported by 11 aerial firefighting units, are currently battling the wildfire in an effort to bring it under control.

To help emergency crews operate more effectively and to reduce congestion in the affected area, authorities have urged residents of Barcelona to delay their usual weekend trips to this popular coastal destination.

By limiting traffic and unnecessary travel, emergency services can move resources more efficiently, ensure public safety, and focus on containing the fire without additional disruptions from visitors and holidaymakers.

Spain, one of the European countries most exposed to the effects of climate change, suffered what Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described as the worst wildfire season in its recent history last summer.

Rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, and increasingly extreme weather conditions have made the country more vulnerable to large and rapidly spreading fires.

According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), wildfires burned more than 393,000 hectares of land across Spain in 2025.

The Ministry of the Interior reported that over 8,000 fires occurred during the year, resulting in eight deaths, 86 injuries, and the evacuation of more than 42,000 people.