On 16. November, the church in the small town of Champagnat was severely damaged by fire. 39 firemen were mobilised to secure the building and extinguish the fire, which seems to have been started on a pile of books that were placed beside a wooden confessional. The alert was raised by people attending a funeral, who saw thick smoke coming out of the church. A local volunteer fireman began containing the fire until the fire brigade arrived. They were able to preserve a painting of Christ, but another painting was destroyed, along with the books, a statue and the confessional.
Part of the ceiling of the church collapsed, but firefighters were able to preserve a priceless work of art: "Christ in the Praetorium". The work was saved from the flames and is still intact.
According to the fire brigade, the fire started from a pile of books in the confessional of the church. After extinguishing the fire, the fire brigade started a ventilation and clearing operation.