On the night of December 24 to 25, the firefighters of the city of Etampes (Essonne) intervened around 11:30 p.m. at the Louise-Michel school to bring a fire under control - an operation that took several hours.
An investigation has been opened, while the origin of the incident remains unknown for the moment.
The leisure center, the dormitory and the school canteen are the parts of the building most affected.
According to the Essonne weekly
Le Républicain
, around 40% of the school, which usually accommodates 107 students, would be destroyed.
A few hours earlier, around ten children were present because the establishment was used during school holidays as a leisure center by the Etampes agglomeration community.
"
The alert was given by an RER driver
", testifies to the
Parisian
mayor Franck Marlin (LR).
"
The damage is substantial, the school is no longer able to receive students,
" he added, adding that relocation to the premises of the Valnay leisure center was possible.
"
A meeting with the departmental inspector, the director of the school and the city teams will be organized from Monday to inform parents and organize under the best conditions the return to school of children after the holidays
".