2,000 homes without electricity, obelisk destroyed, churches struck down… Update on the damage in Burgundy

Violent thunderstorms hit Burgundy this Thursday, August 24 at the end of the afternoon and in the evening. Churches and houses were struck by lightning, an obelisk fell on a bridge. 2,000 homes are still without electricity… France 3 summarizes the damage observed in the region.

After several days of heat wave, violent storms broke out this Thursday everywhere in France. In Burgundy, some departments suffered considerable damage.

More than 2,000 homes were still without electricity in Burgundy at 11 a.m., according to Enedis. There are 900 in Saône-et-Loire, 571 in Yonne, and 600 in Côte-d’Or following the bad weather this Friday morning.

Saône-et-Loire, the most affected department

Disturbed trains, blasted churches, electric poles on the road, a house taken by lightning… The Saône-et-Loire was not spared by the climatic conditions this Thursday, August 24th.

Two churches destroyed

The church of Saint-Martin-sous-Montaigu and the church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Saint-Jean-de-Vaux were struck by lightning in the afternoon. The mayor of Saint-Martin-sous-Montaigu, Christophe Hunecart, reports significant damage to the two buildings.

“The roosters were struck by lightning. The tops of both churches fell and ripped holes in the roofs. For our church, there are still stones stuck on the cornice of the bell tower that threaten to fall on the road, so we stopped traffic.”

An obelisk falls on a car in Chalon-sur-Saône

Lightning also fell yesterday evening on an obelisk of the Pont Saint-Laurent, in Châlon-sur-Saône. Pieces of the monument fell on two cars. If it was damaged, there were no injuries. Traffic is closed at least for the weekend in the Saint-Laurent Island – Downtown direction.

According to the JSL, in Chatenoy-en-Bresse, lightning fell on a house and caused a fire.

On Facebook, the mayor of Chalon-sur-Saône Gilles Platret shared photos of the park of the Château de La Loyère, victim of a tornado. There are no injuries, but 70 trees were snapped.

Around 4:45 p.m., a TER had to stop after hitting a tree trunk that occupied the tracks. Blocked between Chalon-sur-Saone and Chagny, the train could not leave and the passengers were evacuated. Alternatives have been put in place. “There are no injuries”specifies the SNCF contacted by France 3 Bourgogne.

In Méré, two houses were hit by lightning at the roof level. According to our information, there are no injuries. Dtwo electric poles fell on the D965 yesterday between Auxerre and the town of Pourrain around 3 p.m. The operation lasted at least six hours.

On the whole department, the firefighters declare that there were no injuries during the night from Thursday to Friday.

If the thunderstorms animated the skies of the Côte-d’Orient, we do not list any damage in the department at the present time. A fire took place in Gevrey-Chambertin, but the weather is not in question. The fire has been brought under control, but is still under surveillance. Drones fly over the area to monitor. Five hectares burned according to the SDIS 21.

Nièvre was spared from the damage, but Nièvre firefighters say they have received a few calls for fallen trees.

The departments of Côte-d’Or and Saône-et-Loire remain on orange alert for thunderstorms, and Nièvre and Yonne on yellow alert. It is advisable to move away from trees and waterways, to take shelter in a solid building and to avoid moving around. Tomorrow, no alert for Yonne and Nièvre while Côte-d’Or and Saône-et-Loire remain on yellow alert according to Météofrance.