The place where the fire which burned 4 hectares started was the center for sorting donations from the Emmaüs association. This Monday July 19, the report is bitter for the volunteers.
After the flames, it is desolation. In Saint-André-de-la-Roche, nothing remains of the warehouses which served as sorting centers for the redistribution of donations in the Alpes-Maritimes.
There, it is the work of all the volunteers that is brought to nothing. And the donations … That is to be respected, the association lives exclusively on that …
The origin of the fire remains to be determined, it declared itself this Sunday, devastating one by one all the warehouses of the Emmaus community. Appliances, books, trinkets, clothes, everything went up in smoke … For Abdarazak Boufatah, responsible for the community: “fortunately there are no victims, but it hurts my heart”.
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In mid-July, the program was full and the warehouses were full to the brim.
“We had prepared everything for the start of the school year, for the students and the pupils. We had planned special sales for a month. It’s sad, we only had new, there is nothing left.”
Dismayed, the community must face the facts, all the stock has to be replenished. More than ever, we must roll up our sleeves and apply the community’s motto: “Emmaus is still recovering, we are taking action, we do not suffer, we will start again”, exclaims the president.
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For the 40 people living on site “at the castle”, -some for a very long time, others time to rebuild themselves-; a psychological unit will be set up to help them overcome this ordeal.
After two days of closure, the community should resume its collections and take up the challenge of continuity. Regarding the fire that has spread in the forest, the firefighters are still continuing their operations on Monday July 19 to flood residual hot spots.
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