Saint-Omer church ravaged by fire overnight

At 4am on Monday 2nd September, the incandescent bell tower of the church of Saint-Omer (Pas-de-Calais) collapsed before the eyes of the inhabitants. In less than two hours, the building was consumed in its entire length, from the sacristy to the door. The entire framework went up in smoke. In the morning, the roof of the 19th century building appeared to have been razed, with the exception of a pile of charred scrap metal.

During the night, more than 120 firefighters took more than four hours to extinguish the violent fire. As a precaution, around sixty local residents were evacuated. “In the middle of the night, when the entire roof is on fire, it’s spectacular.”confides the resident who raised the alarm after being woken up by the sound of flames. Fortunately, the fire did not cause any injuries and the 14 works of the church were not damaged. Surveys are underway to determine the causes of the fire.