During the night of Monday to Tuesday May 21, a fire broke out in the multi-storey car park shared by BMW and Renault dealerships in the Saint-Maximin commercial area (Oise). Around thirty vehicles were completely charred and around fifty were damaged by soot, according to the gendarmerie.
No casualties have been reported, according to the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service (Sdis). The upper part of the car park, located in the open air, partly collapsed due to the heat generated by the blaze. The fire broke out around 1:45 a.m. The firefighters were mobilized around 2:10 a.m.
Significant resources were deployed: around sixty firefighters, five fire engines including a 10,000 liter tanker and a high-powered foam van, adapted to extinguish vehicle and hydrocarbon fires, as well as two means aerial including a ladder. The fire was finally brought under control around 7 a.m. this Tuesday morning, without spreading to adjoining concessions.
Around 10:30 a.m., two engines were still on site to monitor and prevent any new fires. The foam used that night was still visible in the parking lot of the two dealerships, which were open to customers. The full extent of the damage remains to be determined. No comments were made on site from the dealerships. An investigation was opened by the Chantilly gendarmerie brigade to determine the causes of the fire.
