A huge wildfire in the south-east of France on the Mediterranean coast has forced thousands of holidaymakers and residents to evacuate their houses and campsites.
The fire spread from the Pyrenees region between the beach towns of Saint-André and Argelès-sur-Mer’s seaside resort near the Spanish border, and had covered over 500 hectares, according to reports on Monday, August 14.
Over 3 000 people were evacuated from the area, while 650 firefighters worked to put out the fires. Several firefighters were injured during the fire.
According to news.sky.com, two housing estates and four campsites were evacuated. Road and rail transport services between Perpignan and the Spanish border were suspended.
More than 300 holidaymakers sheltered in a gymnasium as they waited to return to their accommodation.
Samuel Moli, the Mayor of Saint-André, described the situation as catastrophic: "We are facing a fire like we have never seen. Our town is hard hit, and there is a lot of damage."
