“In the family, no one mourned, my parents were devastated.
“Before the court of Versailles, the relatives of Nikolas are struggling to contain their emotion.
This 19-year-old young man died on January 21, 2017 after being intoxicated by the fumes in the fire at Haras de la Clairière, in Gazeran (Yvelines).
The former owners of the premises were tried on Monday for manslaughter and concealed work.
The prosecution requested a 12-month suspended prison sentence.
The decision is expected on April 11.
The night of the tragedy, around 2 a.m., a violent fire broke out in the garage adjoining the victim's bedroom.
The investigation shows that it was probably caused by a poorly extinguished cigarette butt thrown into a container which was right next to a tank filled with 700 liters of fuel oil.
“We were all looking for fire extinguishers”
Trapped by the flames, the young man could not get out.
The closed shutters, on fire, obstructed the only French window giving on the outside.
Resuscitated by the emergency services, he succumbed to his injuries in the evening.
In the stud, the smoke detectors were not installed and the emergency exits were not indicated or obstructed.
The non-existent autonomous electric groups made the use of water taps impossible.
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Two trainees who were staying upstairs, in another part of the property, also found themselves trapped by the flames.
They finally managed to get out through a window through the kitchens.
In addition to the victim and the couple, six other people were sleeping on the spot.
"At the time of the fire we were all looking for fire extinguishers," argues the respondent.
The youngster was not declared
It was not enough.
During his argument, the defense asked for the acquittal on the count of manslaughter on the grounds that Nikolas was staying to “do a service”.
At odds with his girlfriend, he had asked the owner of the stud farm to stay overnight for a few nights, ending up on the street.
The whole question is whether he was employed and, indeed, whether his bosses were legally bound to ensure his safety.
The couple argues not.
They had decided to “put it to the test” several weeks ago.
Nikolas worked a few hours on Friday morning to remove the manure.
He was paid 50 euros in cash for this task.
“At the time, we did not have the possibility of declaring someone for less than 24 hours a week, explains the former manager.
The Friday of the fire, I offered to start full time the following Monday.
He asked me to stay over the weekend and I said yes.
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“My son was taken away from me”
Statements undermined by the investigation.
This reveals that another employee of the stud farm was on a part-time contract.
He also worked every Friday morning.
In addition, the records showed that the victim's cell phone had been running close to the farm every day since December 23.
“My son was taken from me, I adored him, he was brave, breathes his mother, devastated.
I blame them, it's lax for not having respected the fire safety measures.
If there had been an alarm, we wouldn't be here today.
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