Norman chateau’s moat and weak bridge prevent firefighters from tackling blaze

FRENCH firefighters struggled to reach a serious blaze at a 17th-century castle in Normandy because it was surrounded by a moat and weak bridge.

The Château du Grand-serquigny has been classified as a historic monument since 1951 for architectural features including its roof, façade, moat and dovecote. But, on Sunday, fire tore through the roof and also destroyed parquet floors and two chimneys.

The castle’s moat hampered efforts to contain the blaze, the local prefecture explained in a press release.

Fire trucks were unable to get close to the château as the bridges were not strong enough to withstand their weight, forcing 80 firefighters to battle the blaze on foot, said Simon Babre, the prefect of the Eure department. The fire was contained after midday and no injuries were reported.

Drone images of the castle in flames circulated on social media amid rumours that squatters had occupied the property for the past three years, drawing outrage from one politician.

“What a catastrophe! What anger!” tweeted Florian Philippot, leader of the hard-right Les Patriotes party. “Huge anger! Our leaders don’t care about national heritage, they don’t care about France!” In response, Mr Babre released a video on X, formerly Twitter, saying the rumours were untrue.

“No element collected on site allows us to confirm the lasting presence of anyone without rights or title to the castle,” he said. “It was the subject of regular visits, but we have no elements attesting to a sustainable squat.”

The château is owned by a collective of 40 private owners in France and abroad, who were part of a commercial investment that never got off the ground. According to L’eveil Normand, a local news website, the group also includes professional football players.

Previously, it was home to an association for the professional integration of disabled people. It was then sold to a company that intended to create apartments at the property, but the firm was placed in liquidation and the project never saw the light of day, it was reported.

In 2018, another developer expressed interest but backed out because of the potential for flooding in the grounds.

Frédéric Delamare, the mayor of Serquigny, had previously expressed a desire to capitalise on the heritage building but said his hands were tied because of the 40-person ownership arrangement. “It’s a great loss for the town – we had tourist and hotel projects,” he said.