At the level of the sacristy, the disaster is total. The roof of the choir also went up in smoke. But the nave and transepts were saved. These are the oldest parts of the church, built in 1913.
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The church sacristan, also secretary-treasurer of the factory council, was on site at 6 a.m. “It was the neighbor who warned me at 5:50 a.m.explains Emmanuel Remience. I arrived directly. It was impressive. The firefighters arrived very quickly. But in those moments, it always seems like a long time, we have the impression that the fire is going to spread to the whole church. Fortunately, they managed to save the oldest part.“
At 10 a.m. this Saturday, the firefighters were still on site, to extinguish the last fumaroles and evacuate all the burnt and still hot elements. A team was expected to cover the roof.
Around ten volunteers were also working inside the church to save any objects that could still be saved. Especially humidity.
There had been no service at the Witry church since November 11. From the first elements observed on site, there was no break-in. The preferred avenue to explain the cause of the fire is an electrical malfunction.
Fortunately a neighbor noticed the first smoke so early in the morning. If the alert had been given later, the entire roof of the church would have been lost.
