The fire, which has already ravaged at least 1,080 hectares between Opoul-Périllos and Salses-le-Châteauabout twenty kilometers from Perpignan in the Eastern Pyrenees, experienced new fire starts on Wednesday, according to firefighters. In addition, a new fire broke out in the afternoon in Bélesta, some 37 kilometers from Opoul.
The wind has turned. There are a few new starts on Opoul. There is also a big fire that has just broken out in Bélesta which is a place where there are a lot of trees and vegetation.
the firefighters told AFP.
Gérald Darmanin expected on site
On the other hand, Gérald Darmanin was expected at the end of the afternoon at the command post of the Opoul-Périllos firefighters.
I will be going to the Pyrénées-Orientales today to give my full support to the State services, firefighters and rescuers deployed in the face of violent fires.
had tweeted the minister at midday.
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I will be going to the Pyrénées-Orientales today to give my full support to the state services, firefighters and rescuers deployed in the face of violent fires. @Prefet66
— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) June 29, 2022
The firefighters had specified in the middle of the day that the fire between Opoul-Périllos and Salses-le-Château, about twenty kilometers from Perpignan, no longer threatened no dwelling
.
Several hundred firefighters mobilized
A total of 350 firefighters have been deployed to this area since Tuesday, including reinforcements from other departments of Occitania and the South-East to fight this fire, which did not cause any injuries.
Some 250 firefighters remain mobilized this Wednesday afternoon.
For his part, the prefect Étienne Stoskopf said that investigations would be opened due to the detection of eight fire starts in total on Tuesday alone.
Water bombers, including Canadair and Dash, were also sent as reinforcements to fight the disaster, which led to the evacuation of 300 people from Salses-le-Château, including 81 holidaymakers from the “Le Bois” campsite. pines” housed in the multipurpose room.
The surroundings of this campsite, located in a pine forest, were protected and the facilities suffered no damage, noted an AFP photographer.
Firefighters are still ensuring this Wednesday that the disaster does not spread to military land located in the town of Opoul.
The A9 reopened but several roads remain closed
In addition, the prefecture announced early Wednesday morning the reopening of the A9 motorway, closed as a precaution the day before between Leucate and Perpignan in both directions due to the proximity of the fire. But several departmental roads leading to Opoul remain closed to traffic.
Three other smaller fires, which broke out near Rivesaltes, about ten kilometers to the south, as well as in Saint-Féliu d’Avall and Cases-de-Pène, were extinguished on Tuesday night to Wednesday, also according to firefighters.
More than a hundred people, whose homes were threatened by fire, had been evacuated Tuesday in Rivesaltes, where 90 other firefighters had been mobilized, while the railway line had been temporarily cut.
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