In the Pyrénées-Orientales, the Cerbère fire is brought under control this Monday, April 17 after burning more than 930 hectares of forest. 500 firefighters are still mobilized to contain the progression of the fire and the risk of resumption.
[Mis à jour le 17 avril 2023 à 8h37] The flames swallowed 931 hectares in the Pyrénées-Orientales in one day. In Cerbère and Banyuls-sur-Mer, the fire broke out on Sunday morning around 9:30 a.m. and gained ground until the night of Sunday to Monday before being brought under control by the firefighters around 2 a.m. on 17 april. 511 firefighters are still mobilized because the work is far from over before the fire is extinguished, said Arnaud Wilm, spokesman for Civil Security at France Blue : “The fire is currently under control, that is to say that the most important flames are extinguished, but its spread is not fixed”. If it is still necessary to dominate the advance of the flames, the firefighters must be vigilant to the risks of resumptions while the tramontane is still blowing in the department. “The major risks have been removed, there is no longer any danger for the population. The worst is over. Today, the wind should drop”, reassured the spokesperson, noting all the same the weather forecasts which announce gusts up to 60 km/h.
Gérald Darmanin expected at Cerbère
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin promised to go to the scene of the Cerbère fire this Monday, April 17, from 8:30 a.m. The minister must, among other things, take stock of the progress of the flames and the work of the firefighters. On Sunday, Gérald Darmanin announced the deployment on four Canadairs and two Dash.
The fire has now covered more than 930 hectares in the Pyrénées-Orientales. 300 people were evacuated.
I will go there early tomorrow morning, to take stock of the situation, to support the 500 firefighters and rescuers mobilized and the Pyreneans hard— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) April 16, 2023
The Minister of the Interior should also be questioned about the coordination of resources and reinforcements because the Cerbère fire is proof that forest fires are starting earlier and earlier in the year. “When we see this big summer fire in mid-April, we can ask ourselves the question” about the prevention and management of fires “and this will be one of the questions that I will ask the Minister of the Interior, to be able have prepositioned additional resources”, said the boss of SDIS 66 and president of the Pyrénées-Orientales Departmental Council, Hermeline Malherbe on the antenna of France info.
Images of the fires in Cerbères and Banyuls-sur-Mer
The Cerbère fire is the first major forest fire of the year 2023. The flames have burned hundreds of hectares and have been seen from afar as seen in civil protection images and amateur videos. A wall of fire rose above the treetops and thick clouds of smoke formed. In surrounding towns such as Portbou, Spain, the fire colored the sky orange.
In the Pyrénées-Orientales, the Cerbère fire is still active this Sunday evening. We are approaching 1,000 hectares burned! 500 firefighters are mobilized. (Chloe Delevoye) pic.twitter.com/SCqzUREVkv
— Weather Express (@WeatherExpress) April 16, 2023
Map of fires in Cerbères
It was in Banyuls-sur-Mer that the fire started before advancing towards Cerbère, a town located further down the Vermeille coast, in the Pyrénées-Orientales. The fire continued its course to Spain crossing the border. The fire is under control on both sides this Monday morning.
What is the origin of the fire of Cerbère and Banyuls?
If the starting point of the fire is known, the same cannot be said of the causes of the fire. The prefect of the department Rodrigue Furcy declared in the afternoon of Sunday April 16 that the origins of the flames were still unknown. Still, “drought and lack of rain” worsened the situation and facilitated the spread of flames according to Hermeline Malherbe.
What is the toll of the fires in Cerbère?
If nearly 1,000 hectares have burned, only two homes have been affected by the flames according to the latest report from the prefecture of Pyrénées-Orientales. No victims are to be deplored and the 300 inhabitants who were evacuated on Sunday have all returned to their homes, while 180 other people have been confined.
The Cerbère fire is above all an ecological disaster for the mayor of the commune Christian Grau with France Blue : “It’s our entire natural environment that has been destroyed. We have 80% of the natural territory destroyed. Nature, before it regains its rights, it will take a few years or a few decades.” The fire actually spread through the national forest and the scrubland.