Several stands at the Barcarès Christmas market, in the Pyrénées-Orientales, burned during the night from Sunday to Monday. The organizers decided to postpone the opening of the market for a week to restore everything.
“It’s desolate, there’s nothing left.” For some traders participating in the Barcarès Christmas market, in the Pyrénées-Orientales, there is nothing left. A fire spread over 3,000 m² and burned part of the chalets, seven precisely, and several refrigerated trucks, during the night from Sunday to Monday.
“Everything is burnt. Everything has gone up in smoke. It’s astonishing,” laments Jérôme, manager of a bar which was destroyed by the fire.
His partner, Dylan, can’t believe it: “I had a bar with a terrace, charred now. And there is no more bar. The cost? 20,000 euros.” Their restaurant area was to open at the same time as the market, this Saturday, which brings together more than 1.5 million visitors each year. Finally, only ashes remained of the restaurant and the opening of the market was postponed. It will finally take place on November 23.
The origin of the fire unknown
A postponement which should make it possible to restore everything and help the victims. “We could open the park on Friday without any problem, but we don’t really want to because on the one hand it wouldn’t be very beautiful, and we want to keep this magic for this 25th anniversary. We prefer to postpone it until “a week so that everything is ready, cleaned, transformed, repaired, so that we don’t have the impression that anything has happened”, explains Michel Sitga, the general director of services from the Barcarès town hall.
The investigation by the Rivesaltes gendarmes will continue to find out what happened. The origin of the fire remains unknown at this time. No track is favored by the prosecution. Accident or criminal act, “at this stage it is much too early to comment,” says the Perpignan public prosecutor.
Jean-Wilfrid Forquès (with TRC)
