***Vivian Song, in Paris, reports for The Telegraph:***
French firefighters struggled to reach a serious blaze in a 17th-century château in Normandy because it was surrounded by a moat and a weak bridge.
The Château du Grand-Serquigny in northwestern France has been classified as a historic monument since 1951 for architectural features such as its roof, façade, moat and dovecote. But on Sunday morning, a blaze tore through the roof, destroying the parquet floors and two chimneys.
The castle’s moat hampered efforts to contain the blaze and complicated firefighting efforts, the local prefecture explained in a press release.
Fire trucks were unable to get close to the château as the bridges were not strong enough to withstand their weight, forcing a small army of 80 firefighters to battle the blaze on foot, Simon Babre, the prefect of Eure, said at a press briefing.
The fire was contained after midday and no injuries were reported.
Impressive drone images of the castle in flames made the rounds on social media amid rumours that the property had been squatted in for three years, drawing outrage from one politician.
Almost every year in January a castle burns in France, usually the one in Luneville, to the point that many think there is a curse on that specific castle.
So it does its job to protect the château from outside forces (good or bad) really well then.
Working as intended.
Do we know the cause for these fires? Is it firework related?
Terrible…
It was surely Nathan Drake’s fault
Ha-ha!
bring out the fascines and siege ladders
All the squats here have been in shitty wooden sheds, but the French have 17th century châteaus for their purposes.
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***Vivian Song, in Paris, reports for The Telegraph:***
French firefighters struggled to reach a serious blaze in a 17th-century château in Normandy because it was surrounded by a moat and a weak bridge.
The Château du Grand-Serquigny in northwestern France has been classified as a historic monument since 1951 for architectural features such as its roof, façade, moat and dovecote. But on Sunday morning, a blaze tore through the roof, destroying the parquet floors and two chimneys.
The castle’s moat hampered efforts to contain the blaze and complicated firefighting efforts, the local prefecture explained in a press release.
Fire trucks were unable to get close to the château as the bridges were not strong enough to withstand their weight, forcing a small army of 80 firefighters to battle the blaze on foot, Simon Babre, the prefect of Eure, said at a press briefing.
The fire was contained after midday and no injuries were reported.
Impressive drone images of the castle in flames made the rounds on social media amid rumours that the property had been squatted in for three years, drawing outrage from one politician.
**Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/01/01/moat-17th-century-france-chateau-hinders-firefighting/**
In fairness the moats just doing its job.
Almost every year in January a castle burns in France, usually the one in Luneville, to the point that many think there is a curse on that specific castle.
So it does its job to protect the château from outside forces (good or bad) really well then.
Working as intended.
Do we know the cause for these fires? Is it firework related?
Terrible…
It was surely Nathan Drake’s fault
Ha-ha!
bring out the fascines and siege ladders
All the squats here have been in shitty wooden sheds, but the French have 17th century châteaus for their purposes.