Les Vétérans du Feu
THE ABANDONED FIRE TRUCKS IN FRANCE
Hidden behind closed doors in the French port town of Rouen stands a unique collection of fire trucks. Dozens of old French fire engines are stored in an abandoned hall near the river Seine. The place is quiet, but inside time has stopped. The collection is called Les Vétérans du Feu, or The Fire Veterans.
The trucks cover the entire 20th century. We see French brands such as Citroën, Laffly, Hotchkiss and, of course, Renault. Some vehicles are from the 1970s and 80s, but others look much older, even from the years between the two World Wars.
The story began in 1990. Several fire brigades across France wanted to modernize their fleets. But instead of scrapping the old trucks, they wanted to save them. The plan was simple: collect the trucks in one place, restore them, and open a museum. For this reason, they bought a hall, and moved a few dozen vehicles there.
Lack of money
But restoring old trucks is very expensive. In 2002, the work stopped due to lack of money. Soon after, the civic group behind the project closed, and the workshop that repaired the engines shut its doors. Still, the dream of a fire truck museum did not die. In 2009, there was again a plan to open such a place. A private donor even gave 30,000 euros. Yet it was not enough.
Today, the hall near Boulevard Emile Duchemin tells a sad story. The fire trucks stand side by side, slowly rusting away. Their paint peels, their tires crack, and nature begins to reclaim them. The big dream of a museum has not come true. Walking between these giants feels like stepping back in time. You can almost hear the sirens and see the flashing lights. But reality is different: silence, dust, and decay.
Will these veterans of fire ever be restored? Nobody knows. For now, they wait in the dark hall, forgotten but still proud. I visited Les Vétérans du Feu in 2015.
UPDATE 2016
The hall was cleaned in 2016 and there is no sign of the trucks anymore. The halls were demolished in 2018 for rehabilitation of the port. If you have more information about the trucks or whereabouts of them, please contact me.
