2024-04-25 08:22:12
The earliest risers of Paris were surprised to discover the Moulin Rouge at dawn this Thursday without its famous wings. The metal structure of the Parisian cabaret, located on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement, collapsed during the night, between 2 and 3 a.m., according to firefighters. The first three letters of the sign, “MOU”, located on the facade, were also swept away in this fall of around ten meters.
Fortunately, the incident caused no injuries, said the firefighters, who only mobilized a handful of responders on site and left the scene this Thursday morning. According to them, the building is not in danger of collapse and the area is safe. To AFP, management ruled out the possibility of a “malicious act”.
“Disturbing to see him without his wings”
On a video taken during the night, we see the four wings of the mill, still connected together, twisted and spread out on the sidewalk and the street. The structure was then brought back against the facade of the building, placed under green tarpaulins and surrounded by safety barriers. The blades were then cleared.
The wings were stored on the sidewalk, under a large tarpaulin, alongside the building.
The causes of this incident are not yet known, according to firefighters and the city of Paris. Kevin Havet, security deputy, specifies that a security perimeter has been established and that municipal police officers are on site. The capital’s police chief, Laurent Nuñez, for his part indicated on TF1 that “security architects from the police headquarters” went to the site, without further details immediately.
The mayor of the 17th arrondissement, Éric Lejoindre, was also moved by this situation in a publication 18th century town hall alongside this legendary place,” assured the elected official.
This night the wings of @red Mill broke and fell onto the road. No injuries. Intervention teams are on site, a security perimeter is currently maintained.
I am mobilized with the teams of @mairie18paris alongside this mythical place. pic.twitter.com/ga7xB5d5q7— Eric Lejoindre (@EricLejoindre) April 25, 2024
The fall of the metal structure in any case intrigues the residents of the neighborhood, who came this morning to the foot of the mill which now finds itself naked. Everyone gathered on the sidewalk to take photos as the wings were raised, which were stored in a dumpster. “It’s quite disturbing to see him without his wings, it’s still a symbol in Pigalle and even throughout Paris. But the main thing is that there were no injuries,” comments Raphaël, a local resident.
Vice-president of the Lepic Abbesses traders’ association, Stéphane Cachelin first “believed in fake news”: “It is a symbol of Montmartre, of Paris and of the world which has just collapsed, he believes. -he. We might laugh at this because it’s just hardware and the wings are made for flying, but it’s extremely shocking. We avoided the worst. I know that the Clérico family (who runs the establishment, Editor’s note) will do everything to repair them as quickly as possible.”
“Paris without its mill is like Paris without its Eiffel Tower,” reacts André Duval, head waiter at the Moulin in the 1980s and resident of the neighborhood for 50 years. “I’m waiting to see the reaction of the thousands of tourists who come every day to see it. Not one person comes to visit Paris without coming to take a photo of it.” On the causes of this accident, André is perplexed: “It’s still very strange, there was no storm last night, I hope that we will quickly find out what happened and that cameras were able to capture the scene.
The mechanism checked “once a week”
Fanny Rabasse, press manager of the Moulin Rouge, tells Le Parisien “that she has no explanation for what happened at the moment”. “The wings are very well maintained, a technician comes once a week to check the mechanism,” she assures. The show given that evening at the cabaret had ended before the wings fell, and “logically, there was no one left inside, apart from security,” she adds.
Speaking to AFP, the general manager of the cabaret ruled out the possibility of a “malicious act”. “On the site itself, we have 24-hour surveillance, particularly on the roofs, with human presence,” explains Jean-Victor Clerico, believing that “this is obviously a technical problem.”
“The wings are regularly maintained: we have visits every two months by an external organization, and our technical teams check them every week. We are a little stunned,” he also explains on TF1. “It appears that the wings were not rotating at that time. The establishment was closed, there was no longer any public” and luckily, “there weren’t many people on the sidewalk”, he also specifies.
Fall of the wings of the Moulin Rouge: “Everyone is a little in shock (…) The wings are regularly maintained (…) We are a little stunned (…) It seems that the wings were not turning at that time”, Jean-Victor Clérico, general director of the Moulin Rouge pic.twitter.com/UkbVi3fiFz
— TF1Info (@TF1Info) April 25, 2024
The blades of the Moulin Rouge had never come loose until now, also underlines the owner of the place, promising to “quickly clarify the situation”. The building was “not damaged at all”, which will allow the room to reopen this Thursday evening. “It will be a special evening, but the show goes on, that will be the most important thing,” he comments.
Located at 82, boulevard de Clichy, in the 18th arrondissement of the capital, the Moulin-Rouge, here with its wings, has watched over Place Blanche since 1889.
The historic cabaret, inaugurated in 1889, underwent major work during the health crisis. After 17 months of closure, it reopened its doors in September 2021. In its entire history, it had until then experienced only one serious accident: a fire due to work in 1915, leading to a nine-year closure. , the establishment told AFP.
The cabaret is due to celebrate its 135th anniversary on October 6. Open every day, it welcomes 600,000 spectators per year, with two performances each evening.
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