Around sixty firefighters intervened for almost three hours to put out the fire, which caused no casualties.
A disaster whose origin is still unknown. It was around 4:30 a.m. Monday, November 11 when a fire broke out in the Christmas village of Barcarès, a town located near Perpignan, in the Pyrénées-Orientales. The disaster caused the destruction of several chalets at this renowned event in the region, as well as the explosion of several gas cylinders.
The sixty firefighters mobilized were able to contain the fire at 7 a.m. Monday, when it had spread over 3,000 m². The fire started in the catering area of the site, which was supposed to open its doors from November 16.
The flames then reached wooden chalets intended to accommodate traders and several refrigerated trucks. Four of these vehicles were also destroyed by fire, reports the daily L'Indépendant.
“A total of ten structures were taken by the flames, three metal structures and wooden structures,” Grégory Koral, commander of Sdis 66 rescue operations, confirms to BFMTV.
“Astonishment”
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,” Sdis 66 told AFP, although no one was injured by the flames.
As indicated by the municipality of Barcarès in a press release taken up by L'Indépendant, the opening of the Christmas market will be postponed for several days.
“We have solidarity building and chalet loans are being offered to us, which could allow operators to return to their place of operation,” Michel Sitja, general director of services at Barcarès town hall, promises BFMTV.
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,” Bruno Berthet, secretary general of the Pyrénées-Orientales prefecture, told AFP.
