Firefighters Battle Blaze at Ordino's Querola Complex After Rapid Spread

Firefighters continued working to fully control a blaze that tore through the Querola residential complex in Ordino on Monday night, with some local residents only discovering the fire early Tuesday morning.

The incident began around 2am Monday, alarming neighbours in nearby properties such as Boscos d'Ordino. Flames spread rapidly within the complex, advancing toward trees and adjacent buildings and prompting intense efforts to prevent it from jumping. Josep Magallon, living across a narrow street, was woken around 2:45am by police asking him to move his vehicle. He described the heat becoming intense within an hour as the fire raged.

No evacuations were ordered, though police urged people to stay indoors. Calm winds helped contain the spread, with around 20 property owners sharing updates via WhatsApp amid power cuts and water shortages. Some left voluntarily: a woman from a nearby building fled a flare-up in the wooded area around 2am, joining others at the Ordino Sports Training Centre roundabout until about 5:45am. Yegor, living opposite with an infant, evacuated due to smoke and noise despite police reassurances, praising the firefighters' response after his own experience in Valencia's Campanar fire.

By 7:45am Tuesday, when Magallon left for work, the situation had stabilised though flames remained visible. Early Tuesday, several Ordino residents and workers encountered the fire unexpectedly upon heading out. A woman walking her dog expressed shock at the sight of flames and thick smoke at dawn, having heard nothing overnight. A French national en route to Coll d'Ordino for a hike said the scene frightened them badly. Some approached police and media for information amid initial fears of possible evacuations.

As the morning progressed, the fire did not disrupt the village's routine, but emergency teams remained on site. The cause has not been determined.