Normandy: a listed 17th century castle seriously damaged by fire

The Château du Grand-Serquigny, a few kilometers from Bernay (Eure) was very seriously damaged by a fire on the night of December 30 to 31, announced the department prefecture. The 17th century property, partially listed as a historic monument since 1951, covers almost 600m2. She had been “squatting” for three years, according to information from Paris-Normandie. “The place was regularly visited”, but “no element collected on site allows us to confirm the lasting presence of people without rights or titles”, reacted the prefect. The castle belonged to around forty owners.

The intervention of the firefighters was “complicated by the impossibility for vehicles to use the access bridge to the castle which spans the moat”, explains the prefecture of Eure (27) in its press release. In fact, the structure is not designed for vehicles as wide as fire trucks. The firefighters had to “use only hand lances”.

“Despite the rapid intervention of 80 firefighters from the SDIS de l'Eure and the mobilization of 4 fire engines, the damage to this building is very significant: the roof is completely destroyed, as well as the floors,” notes the press release. . However, “the two facades could be preserved, subject to a still possible collapse”.

In the next two days, “in-depth reconnaissance” will be carried out to “finalize the removal of doubt regarding the human toll” and understand the causes of the fire. The disaster has been reported to the Ministry of Culture. It is forbidden to approach the scene of the disaster, which is secured by the national gendarmerie. A diversion has been put in place nearby.