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Saint-André: Major fire in southwestern France

Photo: Raymond Roig / dpa

In the south-west of France, authorities have cleared several campsites due to a major fire. More than 3000,500 people were evacuated on Monday from the squares in the Département Pyrénées-Orientales, located on the border with Spain, the fire brigade said. The fire had already spread to around <> hectares – Saint-André, Sorède and Argelès-sur-Mer were in danger, it said.

A fierce fire is raging in the eastern Pyrenees, wrote France's Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin in the online service X, which used to be called Twitter. "I call on residents and holidaymakers to be extremely vigilant." According to him, 13 planes, three helicopters and more than 500 firefighters were deployed to extinguish the flames.

The fire broke out in the afternoon between Saint-André and the well-known seaside resort of Argelès-sur-Mer on the Mediterranean Sea. The scene of the fire is west of the city of Perpignan, not far from the Spanish border. Countless trees and bushes were on fire.

The fight against the flames continues, said Environment Minister Christophe Béchu late in the evening. The drought and strong winds increased the risk of the fire spreading.

The authorities expected that even more people would have to be brought to safety. According to a local radio station, several roads were closed to traffic, the power supply in Argelès-sur-Mer was temporarily interrupted.

"We are confronted with a fire the likes of which we have never seen before"

It is a fire that is "very difficult to control", but has not yet claimed any victims, said the mayor of Argelès-sur-Mer, Antoine Parra. A campsite was completely devastated by the flames and "some people lost their homes".

"It's a situation that is catastrophic," the mayor of Saint-André, Samuel Moli, told France Bleu. "We are confronted with a fire the likes of which we have never seen before," he said. "Our community has been severely affected and there is a lot of damage." Residential buildings and a supermarket were evacuated, a gymnasium and a large multi-purpose hall were opened to accommodate the evacuees.

wit/dpa/AFP