Spectacular rescue during a fire in Clermont

Clermont, Oise – Friday January 3, 2025 : The city center of this peaceful town was the scene of a spectacular intervention after a fire broke out in a building on Rue de la République. Firefighters quickly intervened to bring the fire under control and rescue a man who had taken refuge on the roof. The tragedy was narrowly avoided, but the affected residents will carry the scars of this event for a long time.

A morning of chaos in the heart of Clermont

It is around 8 h 30 that a fire broke out in first floor of a building located on rue de la République, the main shopping street in Clermont. A thick cloud of smoke quickly escaped from the boarded-up windows of this unoccupied apartment. Located above a hair salonthe accommodation in question burst into flames within a few minutes, causing great concern among passers-by.

One of them, Fred, a direct witness and first to sound the alarm, describes a terrifying situation: “The smoke was escaping violently, and I heard a man screaming. He wanted to go out but it was too dangerous. I advised him to climb onto the roof to save himself. »

A dangerous rescue on the heights

The occupant of the third floortrapped by the smoke, followed this saving advice by climbing onto the roof of the building. THE firefightersdispatched to the scene shortly after 8 h 45installed a retractable ladder to reach the man in distress. Barely intoxicated by the noxious fumes, he was immediately taken care of by the rescuers and the teams of the SMUR. Fortunately, no other injuries were reported.

These grueling scenes mobilized around thirty firefighters as well as around ten police officers. The intervention continued until midiin order to completely extinguish the fire and secure the perimeter.

Heavy damage and displaced families

Although the disaster was brought under control in time to prevent the flames from spreading, its impact remains considerable. Four accommodations adjacent areas were evacuated as a safety measure, rendering their residents temporarily homeless. Furthermore, the hair salonlocated on the ground floor of the building, must cease its activity until further notice, due to lack of favorable conditions to reopen.

Rue de la République was closed to traffic all morning, under the joint surveillance of the soldiers of Operation Sentinel and gendarmerie forces. The latter, in collaboration with the firefighters, also began an investigation to try to determine the origin of the fire, which is still undetermined to date.

A city united in the face of adversity

Under the worried eye of local residents, permanent surveillance will be maintained on site throughout the evening in order to avoid any risk of the fire resuming. This episode recalls the vulnerability of old buildings in the city center, but also the capacity of the community to mobilize in the face of adversity.

Clermont, marked by this tragedy, demonstrates the obvious: it is in the worst moments that solidarity and rapid assistance save lives.