The fire which broke out on Sunday February 5 in the afternoon in the town of Torreilles, in the Pyrénées-Orientales, is fixed but still under close surveillance. Seven firefighters were injured.
A fire in winter. The drought and the north wind favored a fire which broke out this Sunday, February 5 in the town of Torreilles, north of Perpignan in the Pyrénées-Orientales. Up to 170 firefighters at the height of the intervention and 60 vehicles fought relentlessly against the fire which covered some sixty hectares. “It hasn’t rained for months. We are in a period of significant drought. We have a Tramontana at more than 80 km / h.
The Cocktail, drought and wind. It feels like summer.
Lieutenant-Colonel Fabien VERGEZ, head of SDIS 66 operations
There were no casualties but the inhabitants of a farmhouse were evacuated. The disaster broke out along the departmental D 18 and extended to the village of Sainte-Marie-de-la-Mer.
Fanned by gusts of Tramontana at more than 65 km / h, “IThe fire started from the natural spaces behind the southern post of the Bourdigou beach, then it crossed the Bourdigoul stream to reach the north of the town of Sainte-Marie-la-Mer“, explained Marc Médina, mayor of Torreilles.
“We saw the fire start around 4 p.m., it was far away in Torreilles… At first we weren’t worried,.
In less than two hours the flames arrived within 40 meters of the campsite. Flames between 4 and 10 m high”
Fabrice BARDOLLETManager of the “Le Palais de la mer” campsite
That night, 100 firefighters remained mobilized to deal with the incident and anticipate any risk of a resumption of fire because the wind remains strong in the area. “The winter season is marked by a period of exceptional drought caused by a strong deficit of rain, which generates, in a situation of strong winds, conditions of intervention identical to the summer season without the support of aerial means and preventive devices. “, indicate the firefighters of the Pyrénées-Orientales on Facebook.
Thus the full commitment of the firefighters made it possible to limit the spread and protect the threatened homes. During the fight, seven firefighters were slightly injured and were taken care of by the SDIS66 health service team. The fire was set for 9:10 p.m. on Sunday February 5.
The fire threatened two campsites for a while. This Monday morning, he was under control but still under close surveillance by the Catalan firefighters.