Fire at the Christmas village of Barcarès: “It looks like a bomb went through there”, testify local residents, still in shock

The Barcarès Christmas Village was transformed into a scene of desolation this Monday, November 11 in the morning. In an instant, the flames devastated more than 3,000 square meters of this emblematic installation, sweeping away ten chalets in a violent fire that left traders and residents in shock. The Christmas market, which was to open on November 16, has been postponed until next week.

“Our chalet is the last to burn”

Among the witnesses, Suzy Camus, owner of the chalet “L'après-ski”, struggles to hide her emotion. “I saw everything melt before my eyes, my entire chalet, everything I had. Everything melted like plastic,” she confided to The Independent.

She remembers receiving a call around 5:30 a.m. while she was still asleep, her colleague warning her of the unfolding drama. “At first, I must admit that I thought it was a joke.” When she arrived on the scene, she noticed the extent of the damage: “It’s horrible. It looks like a bomb went through there. Our chalet was the last to burn […] I watched it burn. Totally helpless.”

“Seeing this is catastrophic”

In the village, the residents are stunned. “It’s terrible for the Christmas village, it’s a huge pain in the heart,” a resident told TF1. “Seeing this is catastrophic,” says another resident, having worked in the Christmas Village for four years. Asked by The Independenta local resident, who learned the news via a message from his neighbor, wonders: “Like everyone, we are waiting to know what really happened. Was it an accident, was it arson ?We're going to know eventually.”