When the party ends a little too early… The 1979 edition saw the partial cancellation of the Colmar festival and wine fair, with considerable material losses. Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire.
At the Colmar Wine Fair, the expression “set a fire” has not been used since 1979. The singer Dave had not set a fire during his concert on Saturday August 9, 79. You surprise me, there were only 400 spectators. The others were at the cabaret until around 1 a.m. Half an hour later, the party is over, a security guard is making his rounds. And when he arrives near the Colmarien Cabaret, a terrible explosion!
The fire spreads quickly. The firefighters are on their way. Security guards try to put out the fire, but the propane tanks outside the cabaret’s kitchens catch fire and take off like rockets. Inside, the butane canisters exploded one after the other. The firefighters won’t be able to do much. The fire devastated everything: “a blaze of 15,000m²”. Hall B is completely destroyed. Edmond Gerrer, Maire of Colmar at the time.
The fire really constitutes a break in the history of the Fair, because the sequel is of course canceled: Graeme Allwright et Sylvie Vartan will be deprived of a concert. Too bad, because Sylvie Vartan could have sung one of her recent very appropriate songs. It will be for next time.
Although no casualties have been reported, the damage is considerable: 25 million francs, including 12 for the buildings alone and 13 million in damages for the 222 exhibitors affected. Less than six months later, the causes of the disaster were identified: a gas leak and a spark caused by the thermostatic activation of a refrigerator. Numerous and lengthy repairs to Hall B followed one another, ending in 1991. In the aftermath of the disaster, a question was on everyone’s lips. In Colmar, nothing is impossible.
This series was produced in partnership with theNational Audiovisual Institute.
The Alsace Wine Fair website.
Thanks to the France Bleu Alsace/Elsass technical team for their involvement.
