“some of us are traumatized”

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For almost a week, Alexandra (the first name has been changed at the request of the person concerned) was unable to return to the accommodation she occupied on the ground floor of a building on rue des Saules, in Tournefeuille. , next to Toulouse.

“During the night of Saturday November 16 to Sunday November 17, I was getting ready to go to sleep, around midnight, when I saw smoke coming from the exterior wall of my buildingexplains the young woman. With the neighbors, we put out the fire before calling the fire brigade, because we could hear the insulation inside the walls still crackling. »

Carbon dioxide poisoning

The firefighters intervened for the first time, before returning around two o'clock in the morning after the residents informed them a suspicious and strong smell in the building. Surveys carried out on site show the presence of carbon dioxide in three apartments, leading to the evacuation of sixteen people, including several children.

Supported by the town hall, they are rehoused in a municipal building for the rest of the night.

Drug trafficking in the residence

The criminal origin of the fire is in no doubt for Alexandra.

“There is drug trafficking at the bottom of the building. The fire started from a sofa on which drug dealers usually sit. »

A police source contacted by Toulouse News confirms that the fire was indeed intentional and that one of the buildings of the Saules residence is identified as a deal point, without making, at this stage of the investigation, a direct link between drug trafficking and the start of the fire. It is the Mirail legal action group which is in charge of the case.

Persistent odor in apartments

In the meantime, Alexandra and her neighbors had to be rehoused for several days.

“The HLM office which manages the residence was very responsive, they really take care of us. They called a company to decontaminate our homes. According to them, we can go back, but the smell of burning plastic is unbearable. And all the electrical appliances that were plugged into the wall that caught fire are out of service. »

All tenants were rehoused by their insurance or the social landlord. But for Alexandra, the losses are significant: “I had done a full load of shopping for two weeks, I had to put everything in the trash because of the burning smell, we had to make do with Secours populaire. All our clothes are good to throw away, fortunately the children's school gave us some. “

Attempted burglary in one of the apartments

And the trouble doesn't end there. One of the apartments was the target of an attempted break-in via the balcony during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. The arrival of the occupants, relocated nearby, enabled the intruders to flee.

For Alexandra, the cup is full.

With this fire, we have reached a milestone. There had already been trash fires in the residence, it must have happened once or twice a year. But in general, it's far from homes, it doesn't really impact us. There we could have died of poisoning!

Contacted by Toulouse Newsthe services of the Tournefeuille town hall explain that they were mobilized to the scene of the fire from the day of the tragedy and have since supported the residents via the CCAS and the Maison des solidarités, but also have made requests to the national police so that more rounds are carried out in the Saules residence area.

“They don’t want to go into the apartments anymore”

The residents are waiting for the insurance companies to complete the assessments before the renovation work can be launched. They are supposed to return to their homes this Saturday morning. Not necessarily a happy heart for Alexandra and her family.

“The smell in the apartment is horrible and as long as the wall is not repaired, we will always smell the burnt insulation,” sighs the young woman. And then, after a night like the one we experienced, some children are traumatized, they no longer want to go into the apartments. »

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