Three campsites in Argelès-sur-Mer (Pyrénées-Orientales) and homes were evacuated on Wednesday due to a fire in the town, said firefighters and gendarmes. The fire broke out around 15 p.m. near a commercial area. The flames traveled about ten hectares according to firefighters, before the fire was contained.
Intervention #feuxdeforet commune of @Argelessurmer
Point at 18 pm:
▶️ 10 ha
▶️ damaged 114 firefighters mobilized 9 drops HBE Morane
▶️ 200 people taken into account (3 campsites)
▶️ 3 sheds destroyed
▶️ RD914 closed direction Perpignan-Cerbère
▶️ fire contained
▶️ pic.twitter.com/dJQL0HGfYV
— SDIS 66 (@SDIS66) June 7, 2023
A hundred firefighters and more than twenty gendarmes were deployed on the scene in the late afternoon as well as a water bomber helicopter. By 18 p.m., the fire was under control and no longer evolving.
Three campsites housing about 200 people had to organize for an evacuation. Customers were able to return to their tents and mobile homes. Twenty people, living in three buildings, were also placed in a safe place. A communal hall was opened to welcome them. The RD914 was closed in the direction Perpignan-Cerbère, according to firefighters.
This fire comes at a time when 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 1,000 ha.
