French wildfire reignites, burning 1,500 hectares west of Perpignan

A wildfire that ignited Saturday west of Perpignan, France, flared up again on Sunday, driven by the wind. By midday, it had consumed 1,500 hectares.

Pierre Rengnault de la Mothe, the prefect of the Pyrénées-Orientales department, stated that the "tramontana," a local wind, caused the resurgence. The immediate priorities are to safeguard farmhouses and stop the fire from spreading south towards the Les Aspres massif. This area is described as arid and difficult to access by land, leading firefighters to concentrate their efforts on the towns of Ille-sur-Têt, Rodès, and Bouleternère.

Didier Carponcin, the sub-prefect of Prades, noted that additional actions were being taken to control the rekindled flames. No casualties have been reported, and no animal lives have been lost. While evacuations were not ordered, over 50 people from isolated farmhouses were sheltered preventively in municipal halls on Saturday night.

As of Sunday midday, 700 firefighters were on the ground, with reinforcements expected from neighboring departments. Aerial support, including four water-bombing planes and one helicopter, was augmented by two more planes. Firefighting efforts are hampered by winds up to 50 kilometers per hour and temperatures reaching 38 degrees Celsius.

Regarding the Tour de France stage scheduled for Monday between Granollers, Spain, and Les Angles, France, the prefect indicated it was too early to decide but the matter would be addressed Sunday afternoon. The Pyrénées-Orientales department is under a red alert for wildfire risk due to a heatwave affecting much of France.

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the fire had reavivado por la tramontana, el viento habitual en la zona.