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Category: SMPI half destroyed by flames in Saint-Dizier
The walls and framework of the SMPI company are ready to collapse, according to the expert commissioned by the insurance. –
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Collateral victim of the fire that broke out in Steve production’s warehouse on the night of the 1stis on November 2, the SMPI found itself without a working tool. The seven employees will be put on technical unemployment.
The two workers from the Mechanical Industrial Services Company (SMPI), who came Tuesday morning to support their boss, did not expect such a disaster. “When we see the storefront which is not touched, we didn’t think it was so important, but when we got back…”, he said with astonishment. If the boilermaking is intact, nothing remains of the turning and machining workshop of this company, which manufactures spare parts for robotics and industries, in particular for the Arques and Yanmar crystal works.
Just a partition
The expert appointed by the insurance is already on site. He goes around the SMPI building, destroyed on the night of 1is on November 2, affected by the fire which broke out around 6 p.m. at Steve production. Only a wall separated these two companies. “It was placo!”, Laments Stéphane Pellerin, showing a few metal strips which represent the rest of the partition. Just behind, a large void, Steve’s production warehouse from which acrid smoke still escapes. Toys, plastic, party costumes were stored there. “That’s a lot of fuel. This is the reason why the fire grew quickly in force ”, explained a person in charge of the firefighters of Saint-Dizier.
Despite the immense deployment of aid, “the walls and buildings are ready to collapse”, according to Arnaud Pitoizet, the expert. No quantification of the damage is yet possible, but Stéphane Pellerin has only to walk through his company to see them: “The machine has completely melted. We had a new one, it had only worked 24 hours. And you see these pieces, it was over, we had to send them to the Cristallerie d’Arques ”.
Restart as soon as possible
Faced with the urgency of the situation, the expert assures us “to find quick solutions to restart the activity. The building is no longer usable but we will save what remains and find material ”. A challenge that makes the head of the SMPI skeptical: “It takes a year and a half to bring in a new machine tool, it comes from China, Thailand, the deadlines have become worse than for an automobile”. Even if the boilermaking was not affected, its activity proved to be complementary to machining and turning, the company can no longer produce parts, and risks losing its customers. Stéphane Pellerin has already warned Yanmar that he could no longer supply them.
Its seven employees should be laid off, “I made a request”, confirms the leader. Faced with this ordeal, he can count on his workers: “It’s a family business, we are few, we are there to support him”.
Marie-Hélène Degaugue
Lack of support
“I am very happy that the mayor called me, and that the prefect came,” quips Stéphane Pellerin with bitterness, who has received no support from the City and the State. “We had a good turnover, we were told to keep the economy going. They know how to take the taxes, but be present… Only the judicial liquidator, whom I had worked with when filing for bankruptcy in 2008, came this morning to encourage me ”, confides the manager.
A fire difficult to control
Faced with the risk of explosion, in particular due to the presence of the Ferro company which has chemical components, the emergency services have deployed heavy resources. Eight fire stations from all over the department made the trip to fight against the flames. Three aerial ladders were used to overhang the fire, with three nozzles which deliver 1000 liters of water per minute.
Despite this, “the situation was complex. The buildings are contiguous, so the risk of propagation had to be avoided. The objects in Steve Production being very combustible, we took a long time to contain the flames. And we had a problem with the water supply, the poles were not delivering enough water ”, explained a person in charge of the Bragarde barracks.
The 400m2
of the Steve production warehouse were destroyed but, after struggling all night, the fire was extinguished around 9 a.m. on Tuesday. Site surveillance was put in place, only the Chaumont, Saint-Dizier and Bettancourt centers remained mobilized. “We use thermal cameras to see if there is a risk or not, and carry out rounds in the afternoon and evening”, specified the manager yesterday, who did not yet know if a watch would be maintained at night. .
Posted on 11-03-2021 at 6:07 AM
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