That night in Fougères, they saved six lives trapped by a fire

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That night, in Fougères (Ille-et-Vilaine)THE firefighters had to control a large fire in a building, directly saving six people and protecting a total of fourteen residents. An operation made difficult by the rapid spread of feu and by the location of the building near power lines. But an intervention which benefited from the presence on site and by chance of a member of the rescue center.

Using ropes

On the night of Friday June 21 to Saturday June 22, 2024, Chief Warrant Officer Jean-Marc Brière (who was not on duty) was traveling with his daughter Candys around 3:20 a.m. avenue de la Verrerie. He had just found his daughter after the Music Festival.

Passing in front of the building at 42 avenue de la Verrerie (with a hairdressing salon on the ground floor), he saw some heavy smoke. Immediate alert to the SDIS, while starting to reassure peoplewith Candys.

Above all, the firefighter very quickly undertook to recognize placesin order to facilitate the first operations of his colleagues. ” There stairwell was on fire and four electric wires under tension ran alongside the building,” says the captain Eric Royer, commander of the Fougères rescue center.

It was therefore necessary to use ropes to reach the floor where there was a 7 year old child and a 50 year old man“trapped” by the fire.

Four other people were also taken from the buildingby an aerial ladder placed away from power lines. “Treasures of ingenuity” for this intervention, notes the sub-prefect, Gilles Traimond.

“Six lives were directly threatened by the evolution of this fire,” continues Erik Royer.

Present on site during the fire brigade intervention, Jean-Christian Bourcier confirms: “we came close to a tragedy”. The deputy mayor salutes the “humanity” with which the firefighters intervened “with people facing a real cataclysm”.

On the occasion of Sainte-Barbe (annual firefighter festival) and in recognition of their intervention, two medals and eight letters of thanks and congratulations were given to the people who first intervened during the fire.

The distinctions

Fire on avenue de la Verrerie. Medals: 2nd class silver for act of courage and dedication to Staff Sergeant David Prié; bronze for act of courage and dedication to Corporal Guillermo Aguareles Rodriguez. Lettres : honorable mention for act of courage and dedication to chief warrant officers Laurent Hamon and William Lafosse; congratulations for acts of courage and dedication to Chief Warrant Officer Vincent Lemétayer, Chief Sergeant Mickaël Royer, Corporal Christopher Paranthoën and Corporal Ethan Bonnant; congratulations from the departmental director to chief warrant officer Jean-Marc Brière and to Candys Brière.

Other distinctions, for the duration of commitment. Firefighter Medals of Honor: silver level for 20 years of service: master sergeant David Prié and master corporal Jérôme Rossignol; bronze level for ten years of service: 1st class sapper Brice Michel.

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