A major wildfire near La Bisbal d'Empordà in Catalonia (Spain's northeastern region), roughly 20 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, has scorched more than 2,300 hectares and forced residents across a dozen municipalities — totalling around 45,000 people — to shelter in place. Catalan authorities say the fire is nearing stabilisation, aided by more than 400 firefighters and 16 aerial units, though efforts have been complicated by the tramuntana, a strong, unpredictable dry northerly wind that can rapidly shift direction and carry embers hundreds of metres. A worker has been detained on suspicion of accidentally starting the blaze by using an angle grinder during a period when such heat-generating activities were prohibited under a level-three heat alert.