the essential
Saturday November 23, around 6:15 p.m., a car left the road and hit a gas pipe, on the D642 departmental road in Aiguillon, at a place called Miailles.
Under the impact, the vehicle leaked gas and burst into flames. For an as yet undetermined reason, the driver, a young man of 27, lost control of his car and crossed the road, ending up in a gas box.
It could be that the motorist, an Aiguillonnais who works as a mechanic in a garage, did not have time to get out of the car and remained inside. Witnesses reportedly saw this well-known father in Aiguillon inanimate in the passenger compartment when the car caught fire.
Traffic accident in Aiguillon, on the D642. A car crashed into a gas pipe and burst into flames. pic.twitter.com/e2OJB6EzBh
— La Dépêche 47 (@LaDepeche_47) https://twitter.com/LaDepeche_47/status/1860404813516697797?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Firefighters were mobilized to the scene of the accident, but their intervention was made very difficult due to the violence of the flames caused by the gas leak. They were several meters high (8 to 10 m) still several hours after the traffic accident.
Emergency services had to wait for the gas company to arrive before they could continue their intervention. Firefighters therefore secured the area, setting up a security perimeter around the site of 650 meters, while waiting for the gas to be cut off. Two people were confined to their homes.
Gas cuts in three municipalities
The accident caused a town gas cut throughout the town of Aiguillon, but also for users of Laffite-sur-Lot and Granges-sur-Lot. By 9 p.m., the blaze had subsided significantly. A scientific team from law enforcement arrived on the scene. The mayor of Aiguillon Christian Girardi was also on site.
