Emergency and rescue services were still present in numbers on Thursday evening on rue du Gauquier in Wattrelos, beside houses that had been heavily damaged. The fire struck three homes in the second part of the afternoon, near the CEME, on the French side of the border.
Earlier that evening, firefighters from the Wallonie picarde rescue zone, led by Lieutenant Maxime Dessauvages, were seen along the chaussée d'Estaimpuis in Herseaux. A truck was also visible in the courtyard of the municipal nursery Les Coccinelles, where concern had focused.
The duty officer quickly reassured L'Avenir that nothing wrong had been found. A resident had called 112 because ochre smoke was coming from the chimney on the boiler side. During their check, crews found nothing abnormal. A burnt smell was confirmed, but the officer said it came from the fire near the CEME. The Belgian crews said they had not been called in as reinforcements.