“We are devastated”: images of the roof of the Church of Saints Francis on fire in Montpellier

Heavy damage despite rapid intervention. The firefighters intervened a few minutes after an alert launched at 9:30 a.m. this Wednesday morning in Montpellier (Hérault). Heavy smoke then emerged from the roof of the Saint-François church. Covered with sheet metal, it does not threaten to collapse. On the other hand, there was a lot of smoke and running water inside during the intervention.

The firefighters, who know the place well, therefore secured the statue of the Virgin and the most precious liturgical material. “We are devastated, we are sorry, that’s what it’s all about, because it represents first and foremost the life of the neighborhood, it represents a lot of things for all of our faith”explains a local resident at the microphone of TF1. Church rescue plans are prepared in advance, and this time, a robot and a drone equipped with thermal cameras have even been deployed to facilitate the emergency response.

The building, built in 1997, was under construction. An investigation must still define the causes of the fire, but in France, a third of fires declared in religious places are due to poorly secured work. More than 80 firefighters were mobilized to put out the flames.