Four years in prison, three of which were suspended, were requested on Tuesday by the Créteil prosecution against Serge Bromberg, a famous film restorer, tried for the fatal fire caused by reels of nitrate that he stored under a building.
Stored without authorization in a room under an inhabited building of eight floors in Vincennes (Val-de-Marne), these old cinema reels, highly flammable, caught fire on the night of August 10, 2020, in the middle of a heat wave.
Although many residents were on vacation at the time, the disaster killed two people.
The first, trapped by the flames, threw himself from the 4th floor.
The other was burned alive.
Read alsoTried for a fatal fire, a film restorer admits his “fault”
The daughter of this last victim appeared on Tuesday at the bar.
"
This trauma will be engraved for life, we will never be able to mourn our mother because her death was avoidable
," she says, her voice troubled by emotion.
“
She died in unbearable conditions, beyond comprehension.
His final moments haunt me
,” she added.
Judged for manslaughter and involuntary injuries and endangering others, the former artistic director of the Annecy Animation Film Festival does not deny his responsibility.
In this room, he stored his reels and those of his company Lobster Films, which specializes in saving, restoring and distributing old films.
The nitrate films, which must be kept in a refrigerated place, were kept in a room without a fire alarm.
Despite some very hot summers, the air conditioning hadn't been turned on since 1998... when neighbors at the time demanded that it be turned off because of the noise.
A “ fire
wall”
had been installed in the room.
When it ignited, it melted in thirty minutes.
Investigators estimated that at the time of the fire, the room was filled with 1,364 to 1,935 reels, or 2.5 to 3.6 tonnes.
The defendant made a different calculation: 965 reels, 970 kilos.
"
It's a fact, not an estimate
,” he said at the helm.
A very serious error in assessing the danger?
"
This place was a 'buffer' stock, it was only intended to accommodate a few reels before they went to the CNC (National Center for Cinema and Animated Image)
", defends Serge Bromberg.
Considered a great specialist in cinematographic heritage, the producer was perfectly aware of the risks associated with the storage of reels.
For many years, he demonstrated on stage the flammability of nitrate by setting fire to a piece of film, in front of fascinated spectators.
These shows were called “
Flashback
”.
An example that makes the situation even more unbearable for the civil parties.
"
My clients first thought he was a slightly crazy amateur, someone who had lost his footing
, ”pleads Me Missiva Chermak-Felonneau on behalf of a couple who lived in a studio above the premises.
“
But when they learned that the person responsible for the fire was a professional, a recognized expert, it devastated them
”.
Even if he recognizes "
a very serious error of assessment
", a "
fault
" and "
negligence
" on his part, the defendant, 61, believes that the CNC had an obligation to recover and store his reels.
“
Never before has the CNC refused me coils
,” he assures us at the helm.
"
The fact that a site in the middle of the countryside, an unused farm, could be used, has that not crossed your mind?
asks the president of the court.
“
The amount of nitrate was supposed to be extremely minimal
,” replied Serge Bromberg.
His arguments did not convince the prosecutor, who requested four years' imprisonment against him, three of which were suspended.
As well as a fine of 150,000 euros against his company.
"
There is no fatality: all the ingredients were present for such an event to take place
", she asserts, believing that this fire "
is the result of all her action, of all her omissions to comply with regulations
”.
The floor will be given to the defense on Wednesday morning.
