The summer was going wonderfully well for the restaurant Ô Victoria. With the massive arrival of tourists on the banks of the Agout, reservations and full services were linked in August.
Yet this Saturday, August 27 in the morning, when the holidays were to begin in the evening after a last meal, in the entrance of the bistronomic establishment, the team is dejected. The day before, a fire broke out around 7 p.m., requiring the intervention of a dozen firefighters, on the Place du 8 mai 1945.
Aïssa Guendouz, “the morale in the socks” this morning, looks back on the painful episode: “I was up there while the staff ate downstairs. They called me running to tell me about the fire in the kitchen. The induction hob overheated, there was a saucepan on it… There was a lot of black smoke, the electricity went out, you could only see the flames. It was impressive, we were all very scared. I tried to get in for cover but couldn’t due to intoxication. We evacuated the building, rang every door because there are elderly people living there. »
The restaurant will be closed for several weeks
Neither one nor two, the sommelier of the restaurant, Nicolas Galaup warns the emergency services: “I quickly dialed 18, the firefighters arrived quickly and fortunately because it could have been more serious. We were able to evacuate people to safety. For my part, I called all the customers we were supposed to have in the evening and this Saturday to let them know. All the people were kind to the team and understanding, wishing us good luck. How touching. In 41 years in the business, this is the first time that I have had an experience like this. »
If the accident fortunately did not claim any victims, “in the kitchen, there is everything to redo”, summarizes the boss who has “not slept all night” and will still take a few days of vacation to clear the mind and move forward, to reopen as soon as possible. It won’t be for a few weeks. “We had to throw everything in the fridges,” he breathes. “We received help from Simon Scott (owner of the Bistrot Saveurs) who lent us his restaurant to clean equipment such as plates, storage containers…” adds Aïssa, before finding a little desire and reconnecting with his natural optimism: “We will come back to perk up and we will leave for a new adventure! »