After the fire at the large castle of Serquigny, in Eure on December 31, a rumor quickly circulated on social networks. “The castle had been squatted for three years,” say viral posts on X, like the one shared more than 3,900 times by the president of the Patriots, Florian Philippot. Internet users accuse the prefect or members of the government of “having done nothing”, making the link between the squat and the fire. Except that the prefect of Eure denied this assertion.
In video published on X, Simon Babre indicates that it is “erroneous”. “No evidence collected on site allows us to confirm the lasting presence of people without rights or title to the castle,” explains the prefect of Eure. This 17th century building, listed as a Historic Monument, had been bought by forty owners and was left abandoned.
The castle was “the subject of regular visits”
The prefect explains that the building was “the subject of regular visits”. “But we have no evidence of a lasting squat,” he notes. Furthermore, neither the gendarmerie nor the Eure prefecture have received requests for eviction or evacuation. The fire was contained during the day of Sunday, December 31, with the intervention of eighty firefighters, but the damage was significant.
The roof was completely destroyed, as well as two chimneys. The two facades and one of the wings could be saved, according to a press release from the prefecture, provided that they do not collapse in the coming days. An investigation was opened by the gendarmerie on December 31 and should make it possible to determine the origin of this fire.