Anger, fear and feeling of abandonment: they fear the worst after a fire in their Liserons building in Nice

The soot which clogs the cracked corridors of the Le Turin residence has ended up tarnishing the patience of the residents. Their voices are now clogged with black anger. On November 12, a fire ravaged the common areas of their buildinglocated at number 3 impasse des Liserons, in Nice. If the building is managed by the SAFI Méditerranée trustee, it is the property of the social landlord Côte d’Azur habitat (CAh). For two weeks now, fourteen families have been plunged into disarray.

First, because on the evening of the disaster, the flames probably started from the electric meters, the obsolescence of which had long fueled fears. Then because, for two weeks, doubt has hovered over the presence of a “poison in the air”. Asbestos.

“No one to reassure us”

If the presence of these extremely toxic fibers has not yet been noted by experts, who were due to intervene yesterday, tenants remain suspicious. The neighboring building, built during the same period, is currently being deconstructed. And a sign attached to the site indicates that asbestos removal is planned. Although this is a systematic procedure, the inhabitants deduce that “If there’s asbestos nearby, there’s probably some here too.” An elderly tenant, who prefers to remain anonymous, becomes exasperated: “We are in doubt but there is no one to reassure us, neither the trustee (SAFI Méditerranée), nor the lessor (Côte d’Azur habitat). A decontamination team should have intervened the next day. If necessary, we breathe asbestos every day since the fire.”

Requested by Nice-MorningCôte d’Azur habitat (CAh), dispelled any suspicion, ensuring that no materials containing asbestos were present in the building.

“No one answered, no one came”

False alarm, then. Despite everything, residents were not informed and anxiety continued to make daily life heavier. But as tenacious as it is, the fear of poisoning does not supplant precariousness. No one left the building. Lack of fallback accommodation. Tired of waiting for the decontamination company, which has only been involved since the beginning of the week, the residents hope to be rehoused. Without really believing it: “We sent a letter to Côte d’Azur habitat. No one answered us. No one came.” On Sunday, only the trustee, SAFI Méditerranée, had put up a poster where the promises were aligned “intervention as quickly as possible”.

Request for rehousing supported by the Nice left

Déjà vu for anyone used to the aftermath of a fire. Insurance procedures always take a few weeks to complete. But in this priority district of city politics, residents fear being “forgotten”.

“By 2025 or 2026, the building will be razed ⁽¹⁾. The tenants are afraid that nothing will be done in their favor by then. (…) And then, neither Mr. Borré (president of CAh and first deputy mayor of Nice) nor any other elected official made the trip”reports Mireille Damiano, lawyer and leader of the left-wing citizen collective ViVA!

With David Nakache, member of the same movement and founder of the Tous Citoyens! association, as well as Zohra Briand, of the Droit au Logement association, she calls on Côte d’Azur habitat to quickly find an accommodation solution.

To which the lessor responds that “the fire did not directly impact the accommodation which was not declared uninhabitable (…) However, aware of the inconvenience caused, [nous avons] mobilized the urban and social project management to offer, depending on availability, priority rehousing to the families concerned, particularly those located near the affected stairwell.”

So far, no residents have been relocated.

(1) Demolition is planned by June 30, 2026, provided that the residence is completely emptied by this date. The lessor assures that, until then, “Repair and security work obviously continues to be undertaken in housing as soon as it is necessary.”