The delightful French town of Evian-les-Bains is known both for its mineral springs and its grand, historic casino.
Opened in 1912, the casino is Evian's most iconic building, located on the French side of Lake Geneva, just across from Lausanne in Switzerland.
Earlier this month, however, the spa town's casino was engulfed by a devastating fire, just two years after a major renovation had been completed on the complex, new hub Travel Mole reports.
The building, a Belle Époque masterpiece, has long served as a cultural and social hub for visitors drawn to Évian’s famous thermal waters.
For over a century, it has received aristocrats, high society and international gamblers.
The structure is crowned with a Byzantine-inspired dome, which firefighters managed to save in a dramatic effort involving 130 personnel.
The blaze began in a restaurant roof and quickly spread to the casino, threatening the emblematic dome.
The fire, fuelled by strong winds, prompted the evacuation of around 100 people, including staff, guests, and nearby residents.
Firefighters battled the flames for more than 10 hours, focusing on preserving the dome.
“Our priority was to vent the hot gases accumulating under the roof, which is heavily insulated and acts like a lid,” explained Commander Jean-Noël Chapuis of Sdis Haute-Savoie to French news station FranceInfo.
But the complex’s gaming halls, administrative areas, and dining sections were largely destroyed.
The casino fire happened the year Evian is welcoming the G7 Summit to be held from June 15-17.
The conference will go ahead at the nearby Hôtel Royal.
Image: Travel Mole
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