More than three thousand people were evacuated from several campsites on Monday August 14 in the Pyrénées-Orientales. A fire affecting three municipalities, including Argelès-sur-Mer, covered several hundred hectares of pine forest and threatened homes, according to firefighters. “The villages of Saint-André, Sorède, and the town of Argelès-sur-Mer are threatened,” the firefighters said.
The fire also affected the towns of Saint-André and Palau-del-Vidre, also located about twenty kilometers southeast of Perpignan.
Some 550 firefighters, including 150 from the department, were mobilized, along with eight Canadair planes, three Dash planes, three water bomber helicopters and two reconnaissance and coordination planes.
“A very violent fire is underway in the Pyrénées-Orientales. I call on the population and holidaymakers to be extremely vigilant, ”wrote the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, on X (ex-Twitter).
