After the violent fire in a building in Grand' Mare, residents testify

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The eye of passers-by is as if attracted by the blackened facade of the apartment. This Thursday, January 2, 2025, one day after the terrible fire which ravaged a building in the Grand' Mare district in Rouen (Seine-Maritime) and cost a person's lifelife timidly returns to its course. At this time, the causes of the disaster are not yet known.

“Sounds of explosion”

11 a.m., in front of the building, Cédric is preparing to walk his dog. He lives on the 7th floor, just above the apartment where the fire broke out from the day before. “At first, I heard sounds like firecrackers, explosions. I thought it was related to the New Year,” he says.

Cedric then opens the window. He disappears in a cloud of black smoke who goes back up and enters his living room. “The fire was right under me,” continues the local resident. He reacts quickly, grabs his dog and leaves his apartment. Wounded in the foot — “I did that to myself before the fire” — a young man helps him down the steps.

It was panic

He manages to escape from the building. “There was movement in the common areas, it smelled strongly of smoke,” continues Cédric. Outside, he will be welcomed by CocciMarket, the neighborhood grocery store that has become a refuge for an evening.

The neighborhood grocery store as a refuge

On the day of the fire, around 5:30 p.m., Hassanthe manager, is in his grocery store, as usual. He has been running the store since November 2011. “We saw a lady come running. She took refuge in the store with her baby,” he says.

That's when he realizes something is wrong. Outside, he discovers passers-by gathered in front of the building which is next to the supermarket. Flames are coming out of an apartment on the 6th floor and come to lick the facade.

It is only natural that Hassan transforms his grocery store into a refuge. “There were more than 60 people in the store. I was afraid there wouldn’t be any places,” he says.

In these moments, we don't think, we act. We then try to reassure. These people are our neighbors, we see them every day.

In this widespread panic, a natural movement of solidarity was born. “We installed chairs for families and children,” Hassan continues. Tissues, wipes and drinks are distributed. “It was a bit like a war scene,” notes the manager. The shelves are full of families. Everyone is trying to catch their breath.

In the end, the supermarket which was supposed to close its doors at 8 p.m. will have served as a refuge until 10 p.m. In addition, the city of Rouen also opened the Malraux center to accommodate evacuees.

Solidarity

The day after the incident, the neighborhood still remains marked by the tragedy that occurred. But as is often the case, in these difficult times, it is the solidarity of the neighborhood's residents that is put forward.

Cédric would also like to emphasize the effort of young people in the neighborhood who quickly came to the aid of the residents. “One helped me down the steps. And then, everyone played their role well, whether it was the residents or the emergency services. There was a real outpouring of solidarity,” he insists, before leaving to walk his dog, who was visibly impatient to hear him recount the events of the evening.

Hassan is also the first witness to this solidarity. For his action, but also for what followed. “In the morning, people came to see us to say thank you,” he emphasizes.

This is particularly the case of a local resident, encountered at the bottom of the building with a packet of chouquettes in his hands. “We wanted to bring that back to him. It’s not much, but it’s to thank him for his help,” he confides, smiling, before leaving.

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