Striking contrast, this Friday noon, in the hyper-center of Lille. On the Grand-Place and Old Lille side, it is the Sweet life: passers-by stroll in the sun, guests enjoy the softness of the terraces. But on the rue de Béthune side, there is agitation: the pedestrian lanes are partly emptied in an emergency, in a silence sometimes disturbed by the sirens of firefighters and police officers running everywhere.
1. The alert
Around 10 a.m., workers working in a cellar of the former Célio boutique, rue de Béthune, noticed a smell of gas. “ We don’t know where it comes fromthey will then explain. We had to empty this cellar to fill it. With our masks, we didn’t smell the gas right away. We left as soon as we noticed. »
The firefighters arrived quickly and set up a small security perimeter. According to Grdf, the workers accidentally “ damaged natural gas line “. Some surrounding businesses were evacuated with their customers, around ten people.
2. The scope is expanded
We expect, as always with this type of incident, that everything will be resolved within an hour. At noon, the firefighters asked to extend the security perimeter. Rue du Sec-Arembault, passers-by are pushed back to the FNAC. New businesses are being evacuated, including for example a pharmacy or the Jeff store in Bruges, in addition to the Caroll or Lacquemant brands already affected. The traders keep smiling: “ That’s it, it’s vacation! ».
On the rue Neuve side, you should not go further than rue Saint-Nicolas. The perimeter also reaches Place Rihour where access to the metro is closed. Above all, on rue de Béthune, the perimeter is pushed back to rue d’Amiens, swallowing up Decathlon and the immense Grand Scène food court. Customers were urgently evacuatedsometimes with their meals. “ We were notified quickly, the alarm sounded, people came out in five minutes », says an employee. “ This was just the beginning of the serviceexplains another. There was already a good hundred customers. Some were able to go out with their dishes, others left them. It was a bit of a mess. »
In total, at 1 p.m., several dozen businesses and buildings are evacuated. The atmosphere remains good-natured, except for the takeaway food delivery men who come to collect orders, particularly at KFC. The police cannot let them pass either. “ You have to wait, check with your platform », advises one of them.
3. The metro partly at a standstill
The fire service continues to grow, with soon a hundred mensix vans, a machine specialized in chemical risks, and a command post, installed on rue des Tanneurs.
According to our information, pockets of gas could exist in different locations underground. The firefighters must check everything, building by building, floor by floor, business by business. A titanic job. The city also opened two rooms to accommodate evacuees (around sixty, according to GRDF).
At 2:30 p.m., Nicolas Gaillard, chief of staff of the prefect of the North, indicates that the danger is still there. GRDF cut off gas over a fairly wide area. Checks are continuing, particularly in line 1 of the metro, which runs underground. The trains were stopped.
4. Return to normal
Shortly after 3:30 p.m., the alert was finally lifted. The barriers are falling, except at the cellar under construction where the road must be opened. GRDF agents are preparing for a new, considerable task: intervening in the 1,075 homes or businesses deprived of gas during the outage.
Related News :