Affected this Monday, November 11 by a fire, the Christmas village of Barcarès (Pyrénées-Orientales) will have to postpone its opening, initially scheduled for Saturday, November 16. The fire, probably accidental, destroyed seven chalets intended for restoration.
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It should have been inaugurated on Saturday November 16. The fire, which partly ravaged the Barcarès Christmas market in the Pyrénées-Orientales, on the night of November 10 to 11, forced the postponement of the opening date of this market, one of the most famous markets in the hexagon.
The fire, which broke out around 4:30 a.m. in the restaurant area, destroyed seven wooden chalets, “the high altitude chalets” which house the restaurants capable of welcoming several dozen customers at each service. The disaster also devastated several storage containers covering 3000 m2. The intervention of a large number of firefighters made it possible to prevent the flames from spreading towards the Lydia, a famous liner that was stuck in the sand nearby.
For Michel Sitja, director of services at the Barcarès town hall, the fire was caused by an electrical problem. “The site is monitored day and night, the guards had just done their rounds when it broke out. If it had been malicious, they would have seen someone running away, which did not happen. been the case”, he explains to France 3 Occitanie.
The question of the upcoming reopening of the market was on everyone's lips yesterday. The municipality has announced the postponement of the opening of this flagship end-of-year holiday event.
If the investigation, to determine the causes of the fire, confirms that it was caused by electrical problems, the affected merchants will be able to tackle the cleaning and replacement of the burned chalets to the extent that the fir trees, carpet and the lighting fixtures which were fireproof are only slightly or not damaged. The market could reopen on Friday November 22 or Saturday November 23 according to the general director of services, Michel Sitja.
If the investigations should last longer, the local authorities will then have to isolate the affected part in order to be able to reopen. A scenario without a replacement solution for the burned chalets which cannot be reinstalled elsewhere due to lack of additional places.
The Barcarès Christmas market is one of the most famous in France. Last year, it attracted nearly a million and a half visitors. Over an area of six hectares, it usually offers several attractions: ice rink, Ferris wheel, shows, and even automaton exhibitions.
