A fire devastates a building in Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët

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A major fire broke out last night of January 2 to 3, in Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët, in the South Manche. Around 11:15 p.m., the fire broke out in a three-story apartment building, at the corner of rue de la République and rue Feburon. When firefighters arrived, the roof was on fire and a man was on the roof. “He took refuge to escape the flames,” said the rescue teams still on site this Friday morning. The individual was rescued in time by firefighters and is currently in the town's hospital, slightly injured.

A large mobilization of relief

Seven other people, tenants, were in the building at the time of the disaster. The firefighters were able to evacuate them. They are all unhurt and have been relocated to their families or to a hotel. At the height of the fire, 35 firefighters were on site with around ten vehicles. Two vans, two aerial ladders, a command post and a logistics support unit were deployed. This Friday morning, a drone unit was used to precisely assess the extent of the damage and identify residual hot spots. “Now that it is daylight we are carrying out reconnaissance to secure the building,” say the emergency services.

Fighting the flames proved difficult. An internal pipe in the building burst during the intervention, slowing down the firefighters' action. It was only around 6:30 a.m. that the fire was brought under control.

A delicate clearing operation

Reinforcements from Isigny-le-Buat, Le Teilleul, Avranches, Juvigny-le-Tertre, Ducey and Tessy came to support the services of Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët. Because on January 3 at 10:30 a.m., around ten vehicles were still blocking rue de la République, under the eyes of Saint-Hilairians who were curious and taken aback by the situation. “We are now moving on to the clearing phase, but this promises to be delicate. The interior of the building was made entirely of wood. The floors are now very fragile, it is risky for our teams to go there. We are here at least until the afternoon,” explains the command of the operation, in the middle of handing over with the day team.

The apartment building is therefore heavily damaged internally, and will not be habitable for a long time. On the ground floor, the MMA insurance agency and the Gilbert grain store will close shop until further notice, as the building is no longer secure.

As for the gendarmerie, an investigation is underway to determine the causes of the incident. According to initial information, the hearth came from the rescued man's home on the roof.

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