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Fire in Saint-Maur: the “exceptional bravery” of the four heroic garbage collectors honored

2022-03-09T05:51:41.738Z


This Tuesday, the four runners who notably saved a family during the fire in their building on February 17 were honored p


“We are here to show you our most total admiration.

You are a fine example of public service but also and above all human.

Without you, so many people could not have been saved from the flames, ”announces Olivier Capitanio (LR), president of the Paris Est Marne & Bois department and territory.

Laudatory words for the heroic garbage collectors of Saint-Maur-des-Fossés (Val-de-Marne), for which the territorial public establishment wished to pay tribute this Tuesday around a reception in Joinville-le-Pont, in presence of elected officials and firefighters who fought against the flames this famous morning of Thursday, February 17.

“We are proud to have such agents on our territory”

“I do not believe that you measure the importance and the exceptional bravery of your act, continues the mayor of Saint-Maur, Sylvain Berrios (LR).

It's a life-changing event.

We are proud to have such agents on our territory.

Applause rings out.

The first in a series that will take place between each speech.

The three garbage collectors present - the 4th was absent for personal reasons - listen with great attention.

“You are heroes.

It's very rare today to see people who are able to engage in such a dangerous situation without asking themselves any questions, ”says Captain Pierre with emotion.

He himself was there, facing this building in the grip of flames, rue de Marinville, after the explosion of a scooter battery.

Naoufel Attoumani, Florian Gallon, Anthony Géraldez and Christophe Hugot did not hesitate for a second.

“We should never have been there at 6:30 a.m.,” explains Anthony Géraldez, the garbage collectors' team leader.

Usually they start their tour on a street on the exact opposite side of town.

“I don't really know why, but that morning I decided to change our route at the last moment,” adds the 31-year-old garbage collector, shrugging his shoulders.

“We were just thinking about getting people out of there”

Arrived rue de Marinville before dawn, the garbage collectors hear an explosion.

Very quickly, flames appear on the first floor of the building.

“I didn't think about it, I went straight there,” says Naoufel Attoumani.

The 39-year-old ripper rushes and comes across a partially burned man with a baby in his arms.

“I immediately picked him up and took care of him,” reports the 30-year-old while his colleagues evacuate the parents of the infant and “a few grannies”.

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An "impressive" scene which the three men still remember in great detail.

But in their eyes, it's nothing extraordinary.

"We were just thinking of getting people out of there and sheltering them," says Anthony Géraldez.

At the sight of the growing fire, the garbage collectors start shouting "help".

That's when Anne, the neighbor opposite, wakes up and sees the damage.

“We immediately opened our building hall to welcome the victims by gathering a few chairs and blankets”, she remembers, this Tuesday, with a lively look.

“It was terrifying.

What is certain is that I am not about to forget them!

“, she says, laughing at the garbage collectors.

“At least the baby will grow up with his parents”

"We don't yet realize what happened, nor the impact it had on people," says Florian Gallon.

After the arrival of the firefighters, the team will resume their rounds.

“We usually laugh and chat together during work.

But this time, not a word.

It was complete silence,” recalls the 32-year-old garbage collector.

When he is called "a hero", Naoufel Attoumani lowers his head.

For the garbage collector, it is a gesture like any other that he no longer really thinks about.

“I tell myself that at least the baby will grow up with his parents,” says the father of the family.

A chance he did not have.

“I grew up without my parents.

So it was a moment that touched me enormously, ”he describes, remembering the few moments spent with the infant.

The injured still hospitalized

The majority of the victims of the fire are out of business with the exception of the couple and their baby who are still hospitalized.

“The father was plunged into an artificial coma following two operations since he has third degree burns.

The mother is also the victim of serious burns and will soon begin two weeks of rehabilitation.

As for the baby, he must undergo a transplant at the level of the hand, ”reports the mayor of Saint-Maur-des-Fossés.

“Social services take care of supporting victims and a request for relocation has been activated,” adds the elected official.

The heroic garbage collectors left with a “little gift” that will allow them to enjoy an all-expenses-paid stay.

Source: leparis

All news articles on 2022-03-09

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