An impressive fire ignited, on Monday, the Christmas village of Barcarès, a town in the Pyrénées-Orientales located about twenty kilometers northeast of Perpignan. The fire broke out around 4:30 a.m. “The alert was given by the teams responsible for protecting the installation site, reporting an outbreak of fire which quickly impacted seven wooden chalets, three maritime caissons and four refrigerated trucks,” said the firefighters.
The intervention mobilized 61 firefighters as well as the chain of command. The fire was contained at 7 a.m., limiting the spread of damage. The fire spread over an area of 3,000m². The famous boat “the Lydia”, stuck in the sand since 1967 and emblematic of the seaside town, was saved, as well as most of the main activities (ice rink, toboggan run, rides, etc.).
Postponed opening
The Barcarès Christmas village is regularly cited as one of the most beautiful in France. It was scheduled to open to the public on November 16. Its opening is postponed. “A long work of clearing and cleaning is expected in order to secure the site and assess all the damage,” specify the firefighters. “We are doing everything we can to allow the opening next week and are doing what is necessary to restore part of the facilities,” announce the organizers of the Christmas market.
By clicking on“I accept”you accept the deposit of cookies by external services and will thus have access to the content of our partners.
More information on the Cookie management policy page
I accept
“At this stage, the origin of the disaster remains unknown and is the subject of investigations,” say the firefighters. “The causes of this fire are probably accidental, but we remain awaiting the results of the ongoing investigation. We will keep the public informed of any developments regarding the situation,” specify the organizers.
Our file on the Pyrénées-Orientales
On May 1, the mayor of Barcarès, Alain Ferrand, was indicted for “corruption by a public elected official”, “favoritism”, “illegal taking of interests”, “participation in a criminal association”, “money laundering” and “undeclared transfer of more than 50,000 euros in cash from abroad”. He is suspected of having favored the Nordika company, based in Bolquère, in the awarding of contracts for the installation of chalets at the Barcarès Christmas Village. He was released under judicial supervision on November 4, after posting bail. He is prohibited from appearing in the town.
