What we know about the fire at the town hall of the 12th arrondissement of Paris

More than 150 firefighters were mobilized to control the fire which broke out this Monday, January 27 at the town hall of the 12th arrondissement. The building’s belfry, affected by the flames, threatens to collapse.

A major fire broke out this Monday, January 27 at the town hall of the 12th arrondissement of Paris. More than 150 firefighters were mobilized to fight the fire, which was brought under control shortly before 7 a.m.

Particularly affected by the flames, the building’s belfry was weakened and threatened to collapse.

· A roof fire

Firefighters were mobilized around 3 a.m. for a fire at the town hall of the 12th arrondissement of Paris, located on Avenue Daumesnil. The fire was located at the spire of the building, above the facade.

The Paris police chief, Laurent Nunez, went to the scene around 6 a.m. The fire “turned out to be a roof fire,” he said, adding that the fire had caused no casualties.

The guard and the people who were in the building at the time were able to be evacuated.

· The belfry threatens to fall

The fire was concentrated on the roof of the building, and more specifically the building’s belfry, which is 36 meters high. On social networks, local residents shared images of this spire completely on fire.

The structure of the belfry is worrying, firefighters tell BFMTV. “The beams are very blackened, it doesn’t matter much anymore,” said a firefighter early this Monday morning.

The police chief assured that “everything was done” to prevent the collapse of the spire. Architects are currently working to see if beams can be put in place to prevent the belfry from tipping over, the firefighters said.

“Uncertainty remains about the stability of the spire, which still threatens to collapse,” said Laurent Nuñez on RTL, estimating that “it will undoubtedly take several days to assess all of this.” He specifies that the four legs of the belfry were not affected, only the upper part “risks falling”.

· An important system deployed

A major effort was deployed to fight this fire. In total, 153 firefighters were mobilized, supported by 60 vehicles including three ladder trucks.

The causes of the fire are still unknown at this stage; an investigation will have to determine them. “At this stage, I have no reason to think that it is criminal,” noted the prefect on RTL.

Renovation work had been underway for almost a year on the roof of the town hall, but did not concern the building’s belfry, which was mainly affected by this fire.

In addition to the police chief, the mayor of the 12th arrondissement, Emmanuelle Pierre-Marie, visited the site with the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo. The latter also announced the opening of a crisis unit and a psychological unit.

· Elected officials “at the bedside” of the town hall

The mayor of the 12th arrondissement, Emmanuelle Pierre-Marie, expressed “a lot of emotion” in the face of this disaster.

“When we say that a town hall is the common house, it is the people’s house. Arriving at 3:30 a.m. and seeing this town hall in flames will certainly mark me for life,” she declared.

The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, highlighted the history of this “emblematic” building.

“It is always extremely moving, trying, for the mayor of the 12th, for the agents, the guard too. These are exceptional heritage buildings, there is a history of these district town halls, these Napoleon III town halls, with heritage elements, there are works of art, paintings, absolutely remarkable architecture. It is a building, but for us, it is much more than a building. We are at its bedside.

The Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, expressed on her social networks her “emotion at the fire in the town hall of the 12th arrondissement which reminds us so much of that of Notre-Dame de Paris”, thanking the firefighters who mobilized to “save this symbol of local democracy”.

· Town hall services provided

The central town hall and the town hall of the 12th arrondissement are already working to ensure the continuity of municipal services.

“We know that it is a town hall which concentrates one of the largest civil states in France. There are many births, many maternity wards nearby,” recalled Anne Hidalgo.

The mayor of Paris thus indicated that requests concerning marriages, birth and death certificates will be processed at the town hall of the 11th arrondissement, and that a system is already in place to ensure that “the citizens of the 12th can be accommodated” for their administrative procedures. This system will “certainly” be put in place at the Reuilly space, continues the mayor of Paris, but the details will later be given by the district mayor.

The latter also wants to “reassure” residents of its “full support” and its “total dedication”, supporting its intention to ensure the continuity of the service.

“We will continue to open our doors elsewhere so that this common house can work, from birth to death certificates and marriages in complete safety,” she said.

However, elected officials cannot say when municipal employees will be able to return to their functions.