A major fire broke out around 10 p.m. on the 26th of January at the CPE Les Petits Amis de Lorraine, located on rue Belfort. Firefighters from the city of Bois-Des-Filion quickly arrived on the scene to control the flames. Five fire departments from neighboring municipalities were called in for reinforcement. The building was completely destroyed by the intensity of the blaze.
Concerned parents were present at the scene early this morning to see the extent of the damage. The parents received, through the CPE, a message to advise them that the establishment would be closed until further notice due to a fire. For the moment, no information has been published regarding the relocation of the daycare center and the children.
Arson rejected as a cause for the moment
After the alert 4 was triggered at the barracks of Bois-Des-Filion, the night was long for the firefighters of the 5 municipalities who lent a hand.
“Our firefighters have been working very hard since 10 p.m. last night in very difficult conditions, the extreme cold did not help the cause, but we quickly managed to control the blaze. “, announced to local media Steve Canestrari, director of the fire safety service of the city of Bois-Des-Filion.
Fire search and cause investigators are attempting to establish the exact causes of the fire and for the moment there appears not to be any criminal intent. A mechanical shovel was at work even the following day to extinguish the last hot spots following the collapse of the structure. As for the firefighters from the city of Sainte-Thérèse who came as reinforcements, it was also a very difficult night: “Our team was dispatched to the scene in order to provide additional resources, we were on the scene from 10 p.m. last night until 4am. Our equipment was put to the test,” said Mathieu Lacombe of the Sainte-Thérèse fire department. The latter specified that no firefighter was injured during the operation, in addition to a few minor injuries which are part of the risks of the profession.
In a press release, the mayor of the city of Lorraine, Mr. Jean Comtois, said he was relieved that the worst had been avoided: “The positive point in this drama is that the fire started during the night. The situation would have been much more dramatic if the children and educators had been there” added the mayor of Lorraine. In order to help parents and educators, who found themselves facing a CPE that no longer exists, the city also mentioned offering their collaboration to the administrators of the CPE in order to be able to relocate them as quickly as possible.
