Since the fire in two disused buildings in the Saint-Julien district of Rouen (Seine-Maritime) on September 30, the two charred carcasses still bear witness to the violence of the flames. Next door, three other of these "glass and steel" buildings – constructions from the 1970s by architect Marcel Lods – are still waiting to be demolished to make way for a large-scale urban project.
"They've been empty since 2017 and yet they're still standing," says Nathalie Jamin bitterly, adding that "everyone knew there were squatters and young people coming in. We knew it would end badly... Together with a few residents of the neighbourhood, she created the collective "Incendie pépinières" to try to make herself heard and get answers to their questions, particularly in terms of the health consequences for local residents.
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The collective has also launched a petition to this effect and is talking about a possible complaint so that the justice system can shed light on this case. Because, if on the side of the investigation, three minors have admitted to having caused the fire and have been placed under judicial supervision, pending to appear before the juvenile judge on January 25, for the inhabitants of the neighborhood this is obviously not the main thing.
Since the weekend of the spectacular fire, one concern has kept coming up in conversations: that of the presence of asbestos in the vicinity of the site, owned by Rouen Habitat, and in the surrounding air, despite a misting system installed to prevent the fibers from spreading. The current installation of a waterproof surfacing that is to cover the piles of debris with a blue membrane is not enough to reassure them. Especially since they will have to be evacuated, a complex operation for the protection of the population, which could begin next January and last until the summer.
On the subject, however, the municipality tries to provide the information in its possession, in particular by publishing on its website, Rouen.fr, regular updates on all aspects of this complex issue. "This has been one of our concerns since the beginning," says Fatima El Khili, the deputy in charge of urban planning and built heritage, who is well aware that since the fire at the Lubrizol factory in September 2019, people have been particularly sensitive to these issues. "And we continue to carry out regular checks that indicate that there is no asbestos in the air," continues the woman who was on duty on the night of the events.
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For Nathalie Jamin, from the residents' collective, the feeling of the inhabitants of the neighborhood is that they have to manage on a daily basis, without any real instructions. "How can we be sure that asbestos has not deposited in homes or gardens in the days that followed? A company was hired to clean up the debris that littered the neighborhood. But we continued to find them regularly. Should we ventilate our interiors in the days that followed or on the contrary close everything? Everyone tried to manage as best they could, but without any certainty. ».
For her, press releases are no substitute for a presence on the ground, alongside the inhabitants, especially in the early stages. "On the night of the fire, and even the next day, there was no one to answer our questions. And even though the firefighters came to our house on Sunday to take measurements of fine particles and carbon monoxide, apart from telling us to be careful and not to do any physical activity, we felt helpless."
The neighbouring school group closed until December 4
Even if the elected official understands these remarks, she assures that on the part of the community the concern for transparency is permanent. "In such a case, the difficulty is to manage the different levels of emergency and the problems specific to the immediate environment with, for example, the presence of a school group right next door." A school group, which usually welcomes nearly 350 students between kindergarten and elementary school, will be closed until at least December 4.
This decision was taken following surface samples indicating the presence of asbestos fibres in the school, which is still being thoroughly cleaned by a specialised company. Until then, classes are being held in rooms at the Rosa Parks School and the Mandela Gymnasium. With a temporary canteen set up in the entrance or a dojo transformed into a dormitory. "It's obviously not ideal," admits Thibault, the father of a little girl in kindergarten. But it feels like everyone is making an effort to make it go as smoothly as possible. We are quite well informed of the evolution of the situation, even if it must be complicated for the teachers."
Teachers who will have to reclaim their classrooms where "all the objects on which fibers may have been deposited are thrown away," says Florence Hérouin-Léautey, the deputy in charge of schools. "For them, it's very complicated because all these teaching materials, completed year after year, these drawings, these toys, it means a lot."