More than 130 tourists from a campsite in Saint-Cyprien (Pyrénées-Orientales) as well as residents of neighboring housing estates were evacuated, threatened by a fire Wednesday, May 10, we learned from the firefighters and the gendarmerie.
The fire, which began shortly after fifteen o'clock when a tractor caught fire, caused the evacuation of the 137 holidaymakers present at the Bosc campsite and residents of housing estates nearby, said the rescue.
A mobile home and a house were partially damaged by the flames, fanned by a strong wind and a strong drought, in this seaside resort located fifteen kilometers from Perpignan. 150 firefighters and a Dash plane were mobilized to fight this fire that threatened the campsite and about fifty homes. The situation was considered "favorable" Wednesday at 19:30 p.m., said SDIS 66.
'Enhanced alert'
Another fire broke out almost simultaneously not far from there in Saint-André, at the foot of the Albères massif, where five hectares burned, according to firefighters. 120 of them were deployed on this fire where the situation is also considered "favorable" Wednesday night.
Hit by a historic drought, the Pyrénées-Orientales went Tuesday from the level of "enhanced alert" to that of "crisis", the highest in case of drought. Drastic restrictions on water use came into effect on Wednesday nearly a month after this year's first major fire in France, when flames swept a thousand hectares and crossed the Spanish border.
