Fire at the Sportica sports center in Gravelines, December 25, 2023. JOHAN BEN AZZOUZ / “LA VOIX DU NORD” / MAXPPP
The hall of the Gravelines basketball club (Elite) has been ravaged since Monday, December 25 at midday by a “violent fire”announced the Northern firefighters, and “everything went up in smoke”the club told Agence France-Presse.
“There is no longer a basketball room, everything has gone up in smoke”was moved by the president of the Gravelines club, Christian Devos. “Forty years of life in Sportica have gone up in smoke”he added.
“The firefighters are now masters of the fire”declared around 5:15 p.m. the departmental fire and rescue service (SDIS) of the North, emphasizing the“extinction in progress of residual outbreaks”. Fire “started at the swimming pool level, then spread to the cafeteria and basketball room”detailed the Northern prefecture.
Toxicity analyzes in progress
At 4 p.m., more than sixty firefighters were mobilized to put out the fire ravaging the 3,000-seat hall, which started around 12:45 p.m., according to the North departmental fire and rescue service (SDIS). In total, the Northern prefecture reported 90 firefighters deployed on site, and more than forty engines. “No casualties have, for the moment, been reported apart from two minor injuries among the firefighters”she said in her press release.
Residents have been invited by the prefecture to stay at home, while toxicity analyzes are underway.
“If we had been in a busy period at the swimming pool or if there had been training in the basketball hall, it would have been catastrophic”, underlined Christian Devos. But “everything was closed, under maintenance. And there was no training” for the basketball team when the fire started, he added.
Seventeenth and penultimate in Elite, Gravelines should have received Paris, current second, on Thursday. “The match will not take place”regretted Mr. Devos.
Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers The NBA visiting Paris or the perpetual reinvention of the North American basketball league