A fire broke out in the Jonzac fire station, on the night of December 20 to 21, 2024. Although 150 m2 of the firefighters' living area were affected, the engines and the rest of the station remained intact. Firefighters have been warning for several years about the dilapidated state of their station.
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The fire broke out shortly before 2 a.m. on December 21, 2024. This is the living area of the firefighters located on the first floor of the barracks of the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service (Sdis) of Charente-Maritime who was affected. The seven firefighters on duty, present on site, reacted immediately in order to limit the risk of spread. They first moved all the equipment before fighting the fire.
The fire started on the first floor of the barracks, in the living area of the firefighters of the Jonzac barracks.
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© Frédéric Cartaud – France Télévisions
Reinforcements arrived quickly and the fire was brought under control. In total, 150 m² were damaged by the flames, mainly in the firefighters' living area. Despite this incident, the firefighters assure that the service will still be provided. The rescue center is temporarily moved to a gymnasium.
The machines as well as the rest of the Jonzac barracks were spared by the fire.
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© Frédéric Cartaud – France Télévisions
For several years, the Jonzac barracks have been in a dilapidated state. Having warned several times about the dangers of this situation, the firefighters are asking the department for a new fire station which is long overdue. In view of the difficult state of the finances of the Charente-Maritime department, the renovation work on the barracks has been postponed, without any new date being announced.
The firefighters were already warning about the state of their station which needed to be renovated. The work was canceled due to lack of budget.
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© France Télévisions
“I would like to give a date, but until these financial problems are resolved, I cannot.” had regretted the mayor of Châtelaillon, Stéphane Villain, vice-president of the Departmental Council and president of Sdis 17. Added to these difficulties were the savings desired by the former Prime Minister, Michel Barnier, in local authorities. But theThe instability of discussions on the state budget, as well as that of the government, complicates things. After the fire at the Jonzac barracks, the renovation project risks, despite everything, being accelerated.
