January 14, 2025 – 11:04
Violent fire at Bernard-Gariépy secondary school
By: Jean-Philippe Morin
A fire has been raging at Bernard-Gariépy secondary school since 10:30 a.m. this morning.
A general alert is currently in progress and around fifty firefighters from the fire departments of Sorel-Tracy, Contrecœur, Saint-Roch-de-Richelieu and Saint-Ours are currently fighting the flames which appear to have started in the roof of the gymnasium.
Around 1:55 p.m., thick black smoke and flames were still escaping from the attic. Renovations currently taking place at this school could be the cause of this fire.
“All the students were evacuated and relocated to the Cégep de Sorel-Tracy,” explains the school director, Patrick Lamothe, met on site around 11:15 a.m.
The Sorel-Tracy School Service Center (CSS) informed via Facebook that students are safe and under the supervision of school staff. Parents can pick up their child from noon at the Cégep by going to door 17, where school staff coordinate the student’s departure. Dinner was offered to the students who remained at the Cégep. However, parents are asked not to come to the secondary school to facilitate operations.
-At dinner time, the Sorel-Tracy CSS assured that school transportation for the return trip home will be provided at the same time as usual, but departing from the Sorel-Tracy Cégep. “Parents who wish to pick up their child can do so by going to the Cégep located at 3000, boulevard de Tracy, at door 17. Students are not authorized to leave alone. The students were not able to collect their personal belongings (coat, cell phone, school belongings). We will keep you informed about this later,” writes the CSS via Facebook.
This event caused a shutdown of the telephone and computer networks in schools in the Tracy sector (Saint-Jean-Bosco, Laplume, Martel and Enfant-Jésus) due to the fire. Email communications are also interrupted.
A crisis management cell coordinates operations from the School Service Center. Several scenarios are already being studied in order to relocate, if necessary, students and members of the school staff over the coming weeks.
The Bernard-Gariépy school will be closed for at least two days.
To follow the evolution of the situation, go to the Facebook page of the Sorel-Tracy School Service Center.
More details to come
