Thick smoke, flames spreading at full speed and dozens of firefighters fighting. This was the scene that played out in the Négadis social residence, in Draguignan, on January 1st. Wednesday January 1, 2025, around 10 a.m., a fire broke out on the balcony of an apartment located on the ground floor, between the entrances to buildings B5 and B6. “When we arrived on site, the fire had already spread to the first floor”indicated the Var firefighters on site.
For several hours, firefighters fought the fire, until it was extinguished around 12:30 p.m. and operations to clear the charred furniture began immediately. At the bottom of the building, faces were drawn, eyes moist in the face of the catastrophe. During the evacuation of residents, one of them injured his ankle. The first figures showed 32 people to be rehoused and ten unusable apartments, four of which were affected by the flames.
Four unusable accommodations
It remained to be seen how the rehousing of the tenants of this residence, owned by Saiem Draguignan, social landlord, would go. “Once the networks were restored, most of the residents were able to return to their homes”explains Jean-Michel Cohen, general director of Saiem. “Four families, whose homes are completely unusable, will be relocated in the coming days to Négadis.”
Permanent rehousing for some. “Luckily, we had four free apartments in the residence, with similar typologies”he specifies. “For three families, it will be permanent rehousing, not for the fourth for a question of floor.” As for the damaged apartments, the time has come for the procedure to one day be able to repair them and put them back for rental. “These are long procedures”recalls Jean-Michel Cohen. “There is already an initial assessment, which will then allow us to start cleaning and work in the common areas of the building and on the facade.”
Fireworks causing the fire?
Then will come the question of apartments. Which can be the trickiest. “If the origin of the fire is easily determined and the tenant concerned confirms the conclusions of the investigation into the start of the disaster, then the insurance companies will be able to take action, and we will then be able to intervene quickly to carry out repairs on the property. ‘all apartments’details the boss of Saiem. “If this is not the case, the procedure could last and drag on, preventing any work from starting.”
If Jean-Michel Cohen makes no comment on the origin of the disaster, a lead was discussed on the day of the fire. “There was a fire, the origin of which is believed to be linked to explosives and fireworks stored on the balcony,” Jean-Yves Fort, deputy mayor of Draguignan responsible for security, reported to residents using the megaphone of a municipal police car. In total, the emergency rehousing set up by Saiem concerns 16 people.
