On the place Sainte-Ode, the citizens amass. The Priory is on fire and the incident creates strong reactions. “It is very sad. It is a monument of our commune, saddens a neighbor. I came to see what was happening when I saw the flames. It’s a significant deployment. Personally, it breaks my heart to see him on fire like this.” An opinion counterbalanced by another resident more animated by anger. “If we had worried regarding this building earlier, we wouldn’t be here. It’s a building that has existed since 1902 and we left it abandoned for 10 years. This is proof that one might not leave such a canker in the middle of the dwellings.”
It’s a shock to Amay and the deployment of firefighters from Amay, reinforced by those from Liège, is important. “It’s impressive. I stopped on purpose with my son because he wanted to see the firefighters in action”, confides an Amaytoise. On site, Catherine Delhez, acting mayor, also attends the scene. “It’s a symbol that goes up in smoke, she regrets. At this point, we don’t know how to comment. We manage the emergency as quickly as possible.”
A building that is difficult to access
After nearly an hour without being able to access the building (a gate that was too narrow on the main square side and a driveway overgrown with vegetation on the rue des Larrons side), the firefighters are now trying to control the flames from the ladder of the lifting truck while the Amay police officers manage the perimeter and the fifty or so people who have come to watch. “The most important thing is to square the neighborhood well to prevent the crowd from gathering too close, explains Michel Dubois, curator. You have to be able to manage the situation just as quickly to prevent the fire from spreading to other homes.”
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