fuel oil overflows at the neighbor’s house, a family had to leave their house in Saint-Nazaire

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Since November 29, 2024, Léa and Arnaud* have been living a nightmare. Just three months after settling into their house in the city center of Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique), they had to leave their home in a hurry. For three weeks, the air there has been unbreathable. The cause? A fuel oil leak from a neighbor. “Around 6 p.m. that Friday, I was cooking dinner for our 2-year-old daughter when I smelled a strong odor,” says the young mother. She airs the house, the smell fades. But during the night from Sunday to Monday, they experience nausea, vomiting and headaches.

“Our neighbor was also sick. Our daughter has asthma. On Monday, we decided to leave the house. We have been living with my parents ever since. »

300 liters of fuel oil in nature

Arnaud goes around the neighborhood to try to understand where this smell comes from. “That’s when my neighbor explained to me that when filling his tank, the pump attendant made a mistake and the fuel overflowed. He told me about 80 liters of escaped fuel. » It was in fact 300 liters of fuel oil that were dumped into nature. Their neighbor’s land is on a slope.

At his place, it doesn’t smell much, but in our laundry room and part of the living room, it’s horrible. The smell is unbearable.

Around fifteen houses on Rue du Maine and Passage de la Libération are potentially affected. Neighbors demanded analyzes of their wells. They are still waiting.

“No danger”

The couple alerted the town hall on Monday. “Analyses were carried out by a unit specializing in environmental risk prevention operations which acts at the level of the metropolitan basin,” indicates the City.

The results did not demonstrate “that there was a danger”, assures the municipality, for which the incident is now part of the “usual decontamination protocol”.

Significant pollution confirmed by experts

The couple is not angry at the inaction of the company based in Nantes. Contacted, the latter did not respond to our requests. “No measures have been taken to stem the pollution. They came back on Saturday to put sandbags to absorb the fuel oil. But it has had plenty of time to seep into the soil. »

Seeing that nothing is moving forward, the family demands to meet the company officials who have come to observe the fumes. “They were stronger than ever. They offered us odor absorption solutions, but what concerns us is the management of the soil contamination. »

A decontamination company was finally commissioned ten days after the incident. Experts visited on December 17. “They confirmed that it was significant pollution.” Of the earth analyzes gardens are in progress.

Installation of sensors

Is the water table affected? Are the soils polluted? Is fuel oil still leaking? So many questions the couple asks themselves and still unanswered.

I feel like I’m not taken seriously.

“We are very sad to see that no one cares about this serious pollution, in the city center of Saint-Nazaire. No one has made a decontamination diagnosis,” says Léa.

Three weeks after the incident, the air is still unbreathable in their house and that of their neighbor. “The smell migrated further into the living room. » The city must install air quality measurement sensors in their homes.

“This house was the project of a lifetime”

The couple feels helpless. “We don’t know how much the decontamination work will cost,” worries Arnaud, who can no longer sleep at night.

“This house was the project of a lifetime. We were looking forward to spending our first Christmas in Saint-Nazaire. Today is a cold shower! We don’t know when we will be able to return home. »

* borrowed first names

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