The warehouse, serving in particular as cheese cellars, was gutted on at least half of its surface. KEYSTONE/ANTHONY ANEX sda-ats
This content was published on March 03, 2023 – 14:08
(Keystone-ATS)
Vuisternens-en-Ogoz (FR) came to its senses on Friday the day after the fire that ravaged the cellars of the village cheese dairy. The imposing building, located behind it, is gutted. The causes of the accident, under control, have not yet been established.
A certain desolation, reinforced by a thick fog, reigned over the scene of the press briefing organized by the cantonal police. A few meters from the cheese factory, intact for its part, the actors who faced the fire and its consequences explain what happened and answer questions from journalists.
In front of the intervention vehicle, Martin Helfer, cantonal fire brigade inspector, recalls that the fire is certainly fixed, but that the collapse of the roof still prevents access to the homes. Thirty firefighters are still on site, while 200 were engaged at the height of the fire.
More than 11,000 wheels
Started Thursday at midday, the disaster fortunately did not cause death or serious injuries. However, the economic impact appears significant. Operational Director at Mifroma, Alexandre Clerc took stock: more than 11,000 cheese wheels destroyed, including nearly 6,000 for the Migros subsidiary.
Five thousand belonged to other cheese makers. The site also contained 69 wheels of Alpine Gruyère. “The supply is not affected,” reassured Alexandre Clerc. The warehouse, covering an area of 300 meters by 200 and gutted on at least half of it, did not only house cheese cellars.
Two Innopac executives have thus indicated that the activity of their company active in packaging for the watch industry had suddenly ceased on Thursday. “Everything is destroyed, the fire leaving 24 employees on the floor,” testified one of them, still in shock.
Cause unknown
The cause of the accident remains unknown at this time. “All leads are being explored by the inspectors,” noted the police officer orchestrating the press briefing. “We are now awaiting the intervention of specialists to clear the heap formed by the metal structure and access the hearths,” added Martin Helfer.
A metal structure that complicated the task of firefighters, whose collapse even caused a resumption of fire, detailed Martin Helfer. The intervention required a lot of water, water that had to be drawn at some point from a place other than the village network, so as not to dry it out.
The thousand inhabitants of Vuisternens-en-Ogoz were able to consume running water again normally from midday on Friday. No pollution was observed. The trustee of the town of Gibloux, Julien Gremaud, invited them to do so “with parsimony”. The latter praised in passing the solidarity during critical hours.
From Lausanne and Neuchâtel
Solidarity also highlighted by the prefect of the Sarine Lise-Marie Graden with regard to the action of the firefighters, with the contribution of two trucks from Lausanne and Neuchâtel, the Neuchâtel vehicle containing 18,500 liters of water. The elected official was pleased with the proper functioning of the new fire defense system.
Beyond that, the village school was able to continue both Thursday and Friday. “Even if the question of evacuation arose,” said the trustee of Gibloux. As for the cheese dairy, its activity did not suffer as far as milk deliveries are concerned. The cheeses made will have to be stored elsewhere, noted Alexandre Clerc.
The firefighters worked hard, including the night, with a security perimeter around the warehouse. The amount of damage is obviously not quantified at this stage. The report, communicated late Thursday evening, reports seven people inconvenienced by the smoke and 20 to 25 individuals evacuated and taken care of.
smoke column
The disaster involved the medical support of 15 people as well as the intervention of ambulances, police and the wildlife warden. The Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs Department and the Environment Department were also on site. Located 800 meters above sea level, Vuisternens-en-Ogoz is located between Friborg and Bulle.
The smoke released by the fire was visible Thursday for about ten kilometers around, with odors felt as far as Ecuvillens, reported a resident. Explosions were also heard, coming from photovoltaic panels. Luckily, in the absence of wind, the debris remained in the nearby meadows.