impressive images, the origin of the fire known?

Two disused buildings collapsed in Rouen, after a violent fire on Saturday September 30 at the end of the day.

[Mis à jour le 1er octobre 2023 à 11h10] In a press release published on the night of Saturday September 30 to Sunday 1^er October, the town hall of Rouen indicated that a fire had “started in an abandoned eight-story building (…) around 6 p.m.” and that it had “spread in the evening to a second abandoned building .” He added that the two buildings had collapsed, releasing large plumes of smoke above the city.

If the fire “now seems contained and the risk of spread has been eliminated”, according to the municipality, nearly 130 firefighters have been mobilized. This impressive fire did not cause any casualties, according to firefighters, including BFMTV was echoed. However, the two buildings decommissioned since 2018 contained asbestos. According to the town hall, “concerning the toxicity of the smoke, measurements were carried out by the departmental fire and rescue service (SDIS) throughout the operation (…). No dangerous threshold was set noted”.

Further analyzes must be carried out this Sunday. The City of Rouen asks residents “not to pick up the potential fallout, while waiting for the results”. Nursery and elementary schools located near the fire will remain closed as a “precautionary principle”, said the town hall, which will open a crisis unit.