Investigators are investigating the trail of a dispute. The building alarm also sounded before the fire.
A violent fire broke out overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday in Roubaix (North), BFM Lille learned from the department’s firefighters. The latter have been intervening since 2:45 a.m., at 15 rue de la providence. This is the solidarity grocery store El Cagette, a 500m2 building.
El Cagette was created in 2016 and has had association status since 2018. They sell fresh produce, organic fruits and vegetables at low prices for families in need. In the building, there were also workshops to exchange and learn about various subjects such as health, sewing or cycling.
According to the emergency services, “no casualties are to be deplored”. The district was evacuated due to a “risk of collapse”. The action of the firefighters was oriented towards “the protection of neighboring buildings”.
The fire has been out for about 8 hours and the firefighters have started the clearing phase.
Three pump-tonne vans were deployed to the scene and 25 firefighters were engaged, from the barracks of Tourcoing, Roubaix and Villeneuve d’Ascq.
The privileged criminal track
The criminal origin is favored by the investigators because the alarm would have been triggered. The latter are studying the trail of a dispute. The findings started around 10:30 a.m. with a neighborhood survey.
A rally is scheduled for Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. to help the association. The priority is to find premises, ideally in the same area.