Near Rouen, a Forest House destroyed by fire
The Forest House of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray (Seine-Maritime), was destroyed by flames on the night of December 20 to 21, 2021. The fire did not claim any victims.
An impressive fire broke out on the night of Monday 20 to Tuesday 21 December 2021 at the cultural center “The forest house” from Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, near Rouen.
At around 2:29 am, the firefighters received a call from the guard. When they arrived on the scene, the building was completely set ablaze but there was no risk of the fire spreading in the forest. 45 firefighters and 20 engines were mobilized to extinguish the fire.
This Tuesday morning, the extinction actions are still in progress. Operations should last all day. The 800m² two-storey building was completely destroyed but no casualties were to be deplored. The origin of the fire is not yet known. A dismantling company mandated by the Metropolis is expected on site as well as forensic identification services.
Located in the Madrillet forest, the Maison des Forêts was a place of meetings and information on our forests, open to all. It was also dedicated to the school and pericole public with day-time reception of classes and leisure centers as well as to the general public through thematic activities, conferences, events and / or exhibitions. .
Between 2008 and 2020, it hosted: 1,655 classes, i.e. 49,247 students in the context of school activities, 6,872 children in extracurricular activities and 61,609 other people in the context of activities for the general public (including nature birthdays), i.e. a total of 117 728 people who were able to take advantage of this equipment in the heart of the forest.
In a press release published in the afternoon of Tuesday, December 21, 2021, the Rouen Normandy Metropolis deplores the loss of “all the educational tools, created over time for many years, to best educate children in nature and the forest. “
“The consequences of this fire are disastrous, starting for hundreds of children who are now deprived of this superb place dedicated to nature education … Solidarity between municipalities is already underway in order to be able to find, as quickly as possible, solutions to continue this work of transmitting the discovery and preservation of the environment to young audiences “, NOTicolas Mayer-Rossignol, President of the Rouen Normandie Metropolis and Marie Atinault, Vice-President in charge of ecological transitions and innovation.
At this stage the police could not confirm the criminal or accidental trail. All the services of the Metropolis are mobilized on the aftermath of this disaster in order to find alternative solutions for the 320 classes which had reserved an activity for 2022. https://t.co/4hnrRgE49z pic.twitter.com/q3XXWfd0lv
– Rouen Normandy metropolis (@MetropoleRouenN) December 21, 2021
If at this stage, the police could not confirm the criminal or accidental track, the Metropolis lodged a complaint at the beginning of the afternoon.