The men of SDIS 66 and their numerous reinforcements were mobilized on vegetation fires in the four corners of the department this Saturday, September 14, 2024. Story of an afternoon at full speed, to the rhythm of fire alerts.
At noon this Saturday came the good news: the Camélas fire that broke out this Thursday afternoon and mobilized historic resources, both on the ground with 800 firefighters, and in the air, was finally under control. Almost 48 hours of fighting to definitively limit the damage to 400 hectares of vegetation covered, including 280 burned. A great victory, even if nearly 300 men and women remained on the job to prevent any risk of resumption.
A small sentence in the press release from the Fire and Rescue Service nevertheless left a risk hanging: “The weather forecast indicates a wind of 30 km/h with gusts of 60 km/h, a humidity level of 30% and a temperature of 23 degrees.” Opposite, the mention that “240 firefighters, including 2 external columns, are ready to intervene in other fires in the Pyrénées-Orientales department.“It was a good thing they did, because the alerts continued to come one after another all afternoon.
2:50 p.m.: Ortaffa
The fire was spotted in a campsite used for storing caravans on the Brouilla road. Fanned by the strong wind, it quickly grew. A hundred firefighters were immediately dispatched to the scene. This happened very quickly since they were pre-positioned on key axes. They were assisted in the air by the water bomber helicopter and the Mylan. The fire raged for a good two hours before being brought under control at 5 p.m. 4 unoccupied caravans and a light vehicle were destroyed by the flames. They covered a total of three hectares of vegetation.
3 pm: Villelongue-dels-Monts
Less than 10 km from the first fire outbreak, barely 10 minutes later, rescue services were called to this area of the Albères, which was so well-known this summer to firefighters. Since the end of August, fires have been breaking out at a frantic pace. Until the one on Saturday 24 August, which required the intervention of 340 firefighters, 7 Canadairs, 2 Dash 3 helicopters, and covered 81 hectares, destroying 31. This time, the fire started in an area near the Villelongue-dels-Monts lake, frequented by fishermen. This is an area of vegetation with a lot of reeds. A Mylan and the water-bombing helicopter came to reinforce the action of a hundred firefighters deployed on the ground.
Here, the fire is set from 4 p.m. Three hectares of vegetation have been covered.
4:25 p.m.: Rivesaltes
On the other side of the department, on its northern side this time, the alert was given in Rivesaltes. A fire was detected on the edge of the motorway, on the west side, near the town’s wastewater treatment plant. Here again, a hundred firefighters were sent to the site, with two Air-Tractor planes and the HBE. Along the motorway, the fire spread into gardens, carried by the reeds, and jumped the motorway. Very quickly, the decision was made to close the A9 between the Perpignan North and Perpignan South exits in both directions of traffic. At its peak, 4 km of traffic jams formed towards Spain and two in the other direction. Especially since on the Spanish side, the AP-7 was also closed due to a major fire that the bombers were fighting. The closure would ultimately be fairly short-lived on the French side. Around 6:30 p.m., the situation being favourable, the Spain-France direction was reopened first. The other followed some 20 minutes later. There, the fire will have covered 10 hectares.
End of the day, other alerts…
At 5:10 p.m., the Elne Tubert waste treatment company called the fire brigade for help because of a fire starting in one of their containers. By 6:30 p.m., the situation was under control. Early in the evening, another fire broke out in Saint-Estève. Once again, 5,000 m2 were covered in flames. An endless litany this Saturday. Which promised maximum vigilance during the night and during the day on Sunday when half of the department is still classified as high or even exceptional fire risk.
