A fire broke out early this Thursday morning in the Saint-Hilaire church in Poitiers as reported by our colleagues from The New Republic. It was a principal from the neighboring school, who was accompanying her students to class, who saw smoke coming from the roof of the building.
Immediately informed, the Vienne firefighters arrived on the scene, rue Saint-Hilaire, a few minutes later. In the process, several elected officials as well as the prefect of the department, Jean-Marie Girier, presented themselves in front of the 10th century monument.
Firefighters must now take care of smoke extraction
Around 10 a.m., the twenty firefighters deployed on site had brought the flames under control. According to initial findings, the main hearth was located at the level of the nave of the church, a small central part, located from the entrance to the transepts.
The fire triggered strong emotion among the inhabitants of Poitiers, who have always known the building on rue Saint-Hilaire. As our colleagues also point out, for the moment, even if the fire is under control, the firefighters are trying to save some elements inside the church.
