A fire broke out this Monday, September 2 in the church of the Immaculate Conception of Saint-Omer (Pas-de-Calais). No one was injured and 90 firefighters were mobilized for this intervention.
A fire broke out this Monday, September 2 at the Immaculate Conception church in Saint-Omer (Pas-de-Calais). The fire was contained around 7:15 a.m., but there was a lot of damage.
• The roof and the bell tower collapsed
The firefighters’ intervention began at 4 a.m. “The fire started in the middle of the night from the sacristy,” said François Decoster, the town’s mayor.
The flames quickly spread to the side and central nave, then to the roof and bell tower, which collapsed.
• Around fifty residents evacuated
Evacuations took place and a security perimeter was set up. More than fifty residents were welcomed in a small café, just opposite the church. No one was injured.
The fire was contained around 7:15 a.m. The two schools, located near the church, continued to reopen.
“The firefighters will be mobilized all day,” warns the mayor of the town.
• The origin of the fire is unknown
In total, 90 firefighters were mobilized for the intervention. “The unit for the preservation of works of art has been engaged, but no works of art have been identified on site for the moment,” said the prefect of Pas-de-Calais.
The origin of the fire is currently unknown. “At this stage, no investigation has been opened. It is necessary to wait for the fire to be extinguished (in progress) so that the police officers on site can make the first complete observations that will guide my decision on the legal framework,” the prosecution told BFMTV.
• “A big shock” for Saint-Omer
The church fire has sparked several reactions. “It’s a big shock for the whole city of Saint-Omer,” the mayor told BFM Grand Lille.
For her part, Marine Tondelier, national secretary of the Ecologists-EELV and elected representative of Hénin-Beaumont, speaks of a “tragedy”.
“What a tragedy! We were still there as a family in May for a happy event. Mr. Mayor François Decoster, we stand alongside all your fellow citizens who have already been seriously affected by the winter floods,” she wrote on her X account (formerly Twitter).
The resigning Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, also reacted on her social networks. “It is once again our religious heritage that has been affected by a fire,” she wrote, thanking “all those who contributed to controlling this fire, the mobilized firefighters, the services of the prefecture and the town hall.”
• The Church restored in 2018
The church was restored in 2018 by the city, but it is not listed.
“It’s a church to which we are very attached, because it’s a bit like our suburban cathedral in Saint-Omer,” explains the mayor.
The latter specifies that this restoration “will have been useful, because we have eliminated the traces of lead and asbestos and the fumes which were released today are much less toxic than they could have been”.
