Place Jeanne-d’Arc and the monument to the dead occupy the site of a block that disappeared during a terrible fire that developed in the Buttes district on July 22, 1899 and ended up devastating all the houses, old houses made of wood and mud dating from the creation of the bastide.
According to the comments of the time, the fire would have started from the depot of the bakery of the Saurel bakery which overlooked the narrow alley which separated it from the church, at the height of the sacristy, while the retail store was was located on the site of the former grocery store of Noélie Monteil, in the current rue André-Méric. The cellar and the remains of this oven were also unearthed during the digging of the foundations of the retaining wall built a little later along the Place Jeanne-d’Arc created in 1900 and recently demolished during a new development.
The fire spread quickly to neighboring houses and the entire block was quickly engulfed in flames. Despite their best efforts, the volunteer firefighters did not manage to contain the fire that was fueled by a strong autan gale. The reinforcements from Mazères, Nailloux and Cintegabelle could only preserve the houses located to the west, towards the temple. The flames and embers fell on the neighboring dwellings as far as the old cemetery, the current Jardin du Souvenir, route de Nailloux. There were also several controlled fires, but not without difficulty, and the roofs cluttered with ash and various debris suffered from trampling by rescuers and water spilled in large quantities.
That night disappeared with the fire the werewolf who, according to legend, had his lair in the “Buttes” where he took advantage of the fright he caused people to “dodge” everything he could find in the neighborhood.
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