At the heart of the Val d’Oise area, in Chimay, four homes were destroyed by a fire that would be accidental in nature. The inhabitants of these dwellings have lost everything. René is one of them and delivers a moving testimony.
“There is nothing left, nothing, nothing. Not even a shirt, an ID or a phone”, laments René with a tear in his eye. Fleeing his house in flames to save his life, René did not have time to take anything. “The tablets remained, the phones remained, the ID cards remained, the bank cards remained, everything remained. I found myself with nothing”he adds in front of the charred remains of his house.
If René lost all his belongings, he must also mourn his pets who burned alive during the disaster. “I had regarding ten canaries and they all perished. The cages are still there. When you see that… It’s not possible”struggling to describe René still in shock.
Deprived of telephones, René and his family were able to count on a neighbor to communicate, in particular with the municipality. The municipal authorities have made an apartment available to the victims so that they can find accommodation.
“It’s really supporting them at a time when they are in psychological distress. We coordinate and do the best we can.”explains Virginie Lens, the acting president of the CPAS of Chimay.
The support of the municipality will be provided for several weeks.
