During the night from Thursday to Friday, a fierce fire broke out near Ille-sur-Têt, in the Pyrénées-Orientales. The fire service quickly mobilised considerable resources to tackle the flames, which were being fanned by an extremely strong tramontane wind. By 8 am, the crews had managed to bring the fire under control.
On Friday morning, no fewer than 170 firefighters were mobilised to tackle a fierce fire that broke out between Ille-sur-Têt and Montalba, around twenty kilometres from Perpignan in the Pyrénées-Orientales. The flames began to ravage the vegetation along the D2 departmental road at around 1 am. The situation was particularly worrying due to the tramontane, a powerful wind with gusts reaching up to 65 km/h. Fortunately, by 8 am this morning, the crews had managed to contain the fire, after it had consumed around 55 hectares of vegetation.
To tackle this critical situation, the fire service has mobilised significant resources. Four response teams were dispatched to the scene, and a reinforcement unit comprising firefighters from Aquitaine was brought in at the start of the week. Despite the challenges posed by the area’s difficult access, the hard work of the teams on the ground proved incredibly effective. Furthermore, the use of their water-bombing helicopter provided crucial support in fighting the flames.
The flames spread through an area of scrubland on the border between the municipalities of Ille-sur-Têt and Montalba. Fortunately, no homes were put at risk. Firefighters will remain at the scene throughout the day to prevent the fire from reigniting, as the tramontane wind is expected to pick up in the coming hours. Ground reinforcements from other departments in the region will be mobilised to take over from the local firefighters, who will be able to resume their duties in a few hours’ time.