More than 3,000 tourists have been evacuated from a popular holiday destination in the south of France after a devastating wildfire ripped through homes and campsites overnight.
Holidaymakers fled from four campsites close to the Spanish border as flames spread across 500 hectares of land on Monday night.
Around 650 firefighters battled the flames in the Pyrénées-Orientales region, which left 17 with minor injuries, the local prefecture announced.
Sparked by “intense heat, dryness and tumultuous winds of up to 180km/h”, the fire broke out between Saint-André and Argelès-sur-Mer.
Around 650 firefighters were brought in to tackle the flames threatening the town of Saint-André— (France Securite Civile)
Michalak Guimbert, deputy mayor of Argelès, said tourists had arrived in municipal halls “in swimsuits” because they were returning from the beach when the fire broke out. She said “flabbergasted children” were among those running from the flames.
A British man living in the south of France said the fire was the “biggest” he has seen and it was “unbelievable” there were no lives lost.
“It accelerated when it came over the Pyrenees, hit the flat Roussillon plain heading straight for us and we’re all terrified because it was going to incinerate the village and all the campsites around it,” Steven Brady, originally from Wigan but who now lives in the Roussillon region, said.
“It started halfway down the hill in Saint-Andre, right near us. Thankfully for us, but not for the people there, it headed towards the sea, which is very rare.
“It was terrifying. Most of the residents of this village all went out to climb the hill last night and got the cameras out – they’ve probably never seen that phenomenon.”
Fire rages above France’s Pyrénées-Orientales department— (France Securite Civile)
As well as a campsite and warehouse, 30 houses were damaged by the fire.
Mr Brady said: “It came on like a mini hurricane. The flames were whipping up... it was horrific.
“Your average fires happen quite a lot around here, but that was something that could have been an absolute catastrophe.”
As the wildfires were brought under control by Tuesday morning, the extent of the devastation wrought by the flames became clear. Pictures show blackened and charred campsites, which had been full of happy holidaymakers just hours before.
“Our town is hard hit, and there is a lot of damage,” Saint-André’s mayor, Samuel Molly, told radio netwok France Bleu. “The village is burned on both sides, a third has been hit by the fire.”
A woman stops at a safe distance to take a picture of the fires, still raging across the department— (AFP via Getty Images)
Christelle, a resident who fled her home, told France Bleu Roussillon: “This fire is very impressive, it scares me. I hope I will find my whole house.”
The fire is now under control, the French interior minister Gérald Darmanin said on Twitter. No residents or tourists were injured but Mr Darmanin asked that “the population and holidaymakers be extremely vigilant”.
A campsite destroyed by wildfire shows the sheer force of the blaze— (AFP via Getty Images)
France’s minister of ecological transition, Christophe Béchu, visited Les Chênes Rouges campsite on Tuesday.
He posted photos of charred trees, saying: “These striking images testify to the intensity of the fire. I am committed to supporting tourism stakeholders in the reconstruction and restoration of devastated natural areas.”
“Drought and fire are two sides of the same coin: climate change,” Mr Bechu said.
Most of the evacuees have been able to return to their accommodation or homes, but a few dozen tourists were still waiting to be rehoused, Mr Bechu told reporters in Saint-André. Some of those people had lost their documents, money and cars in the blaze, he added.
Wildfires have beset Europe this summer, with both locals and tourists being forced to flee from the deadly flames.
Mr Bechu said that this summer had seen fewer fires in France than last year, when 70,000 hectares were burnt to ashes – but that it was necessary to be “humble” as summer was not over.
Five regions in the east of the country are currently on “high alert” for heatwaves, according to the French weather authority Meteo France’s website.
Last week, firefighters evacuated more than 130 people as they fought to control a wildfire at Portbou on the Mediterranean coastal Spanish border with France. The blaze ravaged some 435 hectares of land.
Reuters contributed to this report
