Three campsites in Argelès-sur-Mer (Pyrénées-Orientales) and homes were evacuated Wednesday due to a fire in the town, learned the Figaro from the firefighters of the Pyrénées-Orientales.
By midnight, the flames had spread about ten hectares near a commercial area. The fire is currently contained, thanks in particular to nine "water load drops" carried out by helicopters.
Significant resources mobilized
During the fire, 190 people were moved to a meeting point to keep them away from the fire. No damage was noted in the three campsites and the occupants were able to return to their rentals. Three agricultural sheds were destroyed by the flames. 20 people were forced to evacuate their homes. A communal hall was opened to welcome them. 114 firefighters and more than twenty gendarmes were on the scene.
This fire comes as the department is experiencing a major drought and has been placed since mid-May in "very severe" risk of fire. The Pyrénées-Orientales have already been the scene in mid-April of the first major fire of the year in the country, with flames that have traveled about 1000 hectares.
