The Church of the Immaculate Conception in Saint-Omer (Pas-de-Calais) was hit by a violent fire of unknown origin on the night of Sunday 1is on Monday, September 2, and its bell tower collapsed, announced the Pas-de-Calais prefecture on Monday, September 2.
At around 4:30 a.m., a “major fire” broke out inside the religious building, the prefecture said in a statement. Thanks to the action of 90 firefighters, the fire was contained Monday morning, but the church bell tower collapsed, the prefecture said. No one was injured but “Around fifty residents living near the building were evacuated as a precaution”.
An investigation must be opened
The origin of the fire remains unknown. An investigation must be opened under the authority of the Saint-Omer prosecutor, the prefecture said.
“We stand with all your fellow citizens who have already been seriously affected by the winter floods.”reacted the national secretary of the Ecologists and regional councilor of Hauts-de-France, Marine Tondelier, on the social network X to the mayor of Saint-Omer, François Decoster.
Inaugurated in 1859, the church had been “completely restored and then reopened in 2018”according to the tourist office website. The site specifies that it includes “remarkable furniture of neo-Gothic inspiration”. According to the prefecture, “The works preservation unit has been engaged, but no works of art have yet been identified on site”.
