The fire in Sainte-Marie-la-Mer and Canet-en-Roussillon (Pyrénées-Orientales) which led to the evacuation of just over 3,000 people on Thursday is now fixed, the prefecture said on Friday July 3. “The forest and vegetation fire is now fixed. The industrial fire, active last night in the technical zone of the port of Canet, is at this stage contained,” writes the prefecture in a press release.
“In the campsites, 281 bungalows were destroyed by the flames,” she adds. “Six civilians, including a child,” were slightly injured, as were six volunteer firefighters, while seven municipal police officers suffered minor poisoning.
Starting from Sainte-Marie-la-Mer, the fire spread to Canet-en-Roussillon on Thursday, affecting the nautical center. At least three campsites were affected, leading to the evacuation of more than 3,000 people: 1,700 campers and another 1,500 people who had to leave businesses.
“The fire started near the Sainte-Marie-la-Mer campsite, it jumped the Têt river and reached Canet-en-Roussillon and the nautical center. The fire spread very quickly with the force of the tramontane and it continues,” the mayor of Sainte-Marie-la-Mer, Edmond Jorda, told AFP.
A building of the Catana company, which produces catamarans, was destroyed, according to the prefect. A little more than 200 firefighters remained engaged Friday morning, with 35 engines and aerial resources.
Around 200 people were accommodated last night in “fallback sites” in Sainte-Marie-la-Mer, Canet-en-Roussillon, Le Barcarès and Torreilles, the prefecture writes, specifying that up to 800 people were taken care of there, the majority having since found a rehousing solution on their own.
