“There is nothing left, more than a heap of ashes, we have lost everything”: the desolation of traders after the violent fire in Pégomas

Eyes reddened by tears, Malik struggles to speak in front of the extent of the disaster. “I have been living there for three years, I lost everything …”empty -handed the boss of MMT auto mechanics bodywork.

It is from his establishment that the terrible fire seems to have declared himself which ravaged 2. Furthermore, 500m² of commercial area in the Mimosas area in Pégomas. Therefore, A hypothesis to be confirmed by the gendarmerie investigation.

Luckily, no victim because the home broke out around 3 a.m. Consequently, in the night. Moreover, But a lot of human distress in the face of the extent of the damage …

“There is nothing more from anything, more than a heap of ashes”still sighs an employee of MMT.

“After the floods, this is the fire too much” – "there nothing left, more than

“Everything is burnt. However, out of use”also laments Nadine and Olivier Celeste, including the medical and orthopedics store C Medical was the first contaminated by the flames.

“In an emergency. we will have to find a room to save our data, then we will spend six months fighting with our insurance to save the furniture, but after the floods, it is the fire too much”, plague this couple installed there, route de la Fenerie, for twenty years.

Same for the manager of Art Deco Colors Carrosserie, from which still escapes a thick black smoke. “It’s terrible … I can’t even enter because the firefighters fear that the roof is collapsing …”

“We had to move in a few weeks”

Same observation for Franck Daumas, who operates the Garage Agency DV Autos. For his first day of vacation. he got up in the middle of the night, released seven cars from his warehouse (out of 21) before the firefighters stopped him in his action to shelter him.

“I’ve been there for 23 years, and I have already lost 31 cars in the 2019 floods, so it becomes complicated … I am especially annoyed for my customers who have told me their vehicles.”

Still next to it. Lucas Brunet, managing director of the HCB group (the Nice cold, the Monegasque cold, Kron) tries to remain stoic. Its administrative premises are affected by the smoke, “While we had to move on Mougins in a few weeks. We set up a crisis unit to manage remotely and quickly relaunch our activity”.

Still. in full summer season, this fire is a “there nothing left, more than hell of a hot stroke for this company specializing in cold room troubleshooting and pro kitchen.

Fire controlled

Depressed. depressed, all found refuge in the bakery where the moon crescent next, while the harasséed firefighters continue their action, in a landscape of desolation …

Shortly after 9 a.m.. the workforce began to be reduced because “Fire is now under control but there are still a lot of smoke and cuttings to be made”underlines a firefighter in action.

Using thermal cameras, engaged men carry out a lot of recognition work on 2,500m².

More than twenty people could find themselves in technical unemployment.