A major fire broke out at the end of the afternoon near the tourist town of Argelès in the Pyrénées-Orientales. Fixed during the night, the fire caused the evacuation of many inhabitants and campsites settled in the municipalities of Argelès, Saint-André and Sorède.
A violent fire which spreads very quickly, emergency evacuations, the rapid support of Canadairs and air resources… The fire which quickly developed on Monday August 14, 2023 at the end of the day impressed the premises of several municipalities. of the Eastern Pyrenees. “We are facing a fire like we have never seen,” commented in the evening the mayor of Saint-André, Samuel Moli, when asked about France Blue Roussillon. At 7 p.m. Monday evening, the city councilor of this commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales was then particularly worried, stressing that the fire surrounded his commune.
Significant firefighting resources were quickly put in place and 600 firefighters supported by Canadairs and Dash planes were mobilized from the evening. Before 10 p.m., the press point of the Pyrénées-Orientales prefecture announced the deployment of eight Canadair, three Dash and three helicopters. The prefect of the Pyrénées-Orientales clarified Tuesday, August 15 in the morning that a real “fight” against the fire had been engaged in the night. At 3 a.m., the fire was deemed fixed according to France Bleu Roussillon, the wind also being announced less strong than the day before in the area affected by the fires. Tuesday, August 15 in the morning, firefighters were still monitoring persistent hot spots but the fire was no longer progressing.
In the end, 500 hectares burned near the municipalities of Saint-André, Argelès and Sorède. More than 3,000 people were evacuated from several campsites. One of them, affected by the fire, Les Chênes Rouges in Argelès-sur-Mer, remains closed this Tuesday morning when the other establishments were able to reopen, holidaymakers being invited from midnight to return to the campsite. The fire caused no casualties according to the prefecture’s press briefing on Tuesday morning.