A fire broke out during the night from Sunday to Monday in the Barcarès Christmas market, famous in the region, and destroyed several chalets and caused the explosion of gas cylinders.
The fire started around 4:30 a.m. in the catering area of the site, which was supposed to open its doors from November 16. The sixty firefighters mobilized were able to contain the fire at 7 a.m., even though it had spread over 3,000 m².
The fire reached around ten wooden chalets intended to accommodate traders and several refrigerated trucks.
The origin of the fire unknown at this stage
The Barcarès Christmas market attracted around 1.5 million visitors in 2023, making it one of the busiest Christmas markets in the country.
“At this stage, the origin of the disaster remains unknown and is the subject of investigations,” specifies Sdis 66, while no one was injured by the flames. The police are in charge of the investigation to determine the causes of the fire.
“It’s just material damage with a major economic impact (…), it’s a bit of a shock,” declared Bruno Berthet, secretary general of the Pyrénées-Orientales prefecture.
