A major emergency system was mobilized on Wednesday 1er May 2024, in the early morning, in the South Channel. Around 5:40 a.m., firefighters were warned that a farmhouse, approximately 200 m², was engulfed in flames in the town of La Trinité, near Villedieu-les-Poêles.
Two deaths
On the spot, “the first responders immediately began reconnaissance, under self-contained breathing apparatus, looking for possible victims”explains Sdis 50.
Three people were taken from the house: a 34-year-old woman, an 11-year-old boy and a 35-year-old man. The woman and child were pronounced dead. According to our information, the man was resuscitated on site by firefighters before being transported to Avranches hospital in serious condition.
On the fire side, the fire was declared extinguished.
Trapped by the flames
Present at the scene of the tragedy, the mayor of La Trinité, Serge Bossard, indicates that “the occupants of the house were hosted by the usual tenant of the house, who was absent at the time of the fire”.
Discomforted by the fumes, “the couple called the firefighters themselves and took refuge with the child upstairs where they were trapped”continues the elected official.
Upon hearing the news, one of their acquaintances was shocked and explained that the victims were “simple people, an extraordinary family”.
The Dragon 50 helicopter mobilized
Some 45 firefighters intervened, supported by numerous vehicles, the Smur and the Dragon 50 helicopter.
In the morning, gendarmes from Sartilly and Villedieu-les-Poêles went to the site as well as criminal identification technicians to determine the causes of the disaster. According to the gendarmerie, which opened an investigation, the accidental trail is favored. At the end of the day, the public prosecutor of Coutances, Gauthier Poupeau, confirmed that “the investigation into the causes of death is underway to determine the origin of the fire. It has not been formally determined but questions arise around the insert which heated the house”.
