Lleida was at the centre of a major fire on Monday night, 8 June 2026, after flames spread through the Arcofrut cooperative and the exterior of La Pràctica cooperative. Emergency services said the fire was stabilised, and most residents evacuated from Vila Montcada-Ciutat Jardí have now returned home.
The fire started in stacks of wooden crates in front of Arcofrut. Officials said all but two households in the affected area were allowed back, although those residents remain confined to their properties.
The Lleida City Council, La Paeria, confirmed that single-family homes on Arquitecte Porqueras and Arquitecte Domènec i Torres streets were evacuated. Residents also raised concerns about ammonia tanks at the facilities. Firefighters said one cooperative building was fully engulfed and its roof had collapsed by 00:30 on Tuesday morning.
Emergency services received the first call at 22:10. Twenty fire brigades, along with patrols from the Guàrdia Urbana, Mossos d’Esquadra and SEM medical teams, were sent to the scene. Authorities set up security perimeters because a large column of smoke and fire could be seen across the city.
Protecció Civil activated the Procicat emergency plan on pre-alert and said it received more than 200 calls to the 112 emergency number about the fire. It advised the public to avoid the area and told nearby residents to close windows and doors and stay indoors. Some residents said water from swimming pools was used to help with extinction efforts, alongside fire cisterns.
Hundreds of people gathered in the street to watch the emergency response. Lluís Carrera, president of the Vila Montcada Neighbourhood Association, said the association had repeatedly asked La Paeria to carry out inspections, citing the risk posed by wooden crates close to homes. More Catalonia news
