A violent fire ravaged part of the Champs-Romet farm, located in Saint-Fulgent-des-Ormes, during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. This family farm, founded in 1967 and specialized in the peasant production of fruit, vegetables and meat, is facing considerable damage.
600 m² destroyed in the middle of the night
According to France Bleu, the fire broke out around 2 a.m.destroying nearly 600 square meters of buildings, or half of the total surface area of 1,200 m². The affected part housed meat sales and processing activities. Only a few walls still remain standing.
With this damage, 30 of the 33 employees of the operation find themselves on technical unemployment, a hard blow as the end-of-year holidays approach, a crucial period for activity. For the moment, the origin of the fire remains undetermined.
A massive mobilization of firefighters
Faced with the scale of the disaster, 42 firefighters from several surrounding municipalities were mobilized: Bellême, Alençon, Mortagne-au-Perche, but also reinforcements from Sarthe, such as Mamers and La Ferté-Bernard. Their intervention made it possible to contain the fire, but the teams remained on site this Wednesday noon to monitor any possible resumption of the flames.
A hard blow for a small rural town
Located on the border of Sarthe, Saint-Fulgent-des-Ormessmall town of 168 habitantsis strongly impacted by this fire. The Champs-Romet farm is an essential structure for the local economy, both through its jobs and its products.
This disaster occurs at a particularly delicate period for operations, with the approach of the holidays, a key moment for sales of local products.
An uncertain future for employees and operations
Farm managers will now have to assess the possibilities of relaunching affected activities, while 30 employees find themselves without work. An investigation is underway to determine the causes of the fire and estimate the losses, which are expected to be heavy.
