It was a passer-by who saw the smoke coming out of the church. An attempted arson attack on the church in Montchanin, was foiled on 7 July. An investigation has been opened. "The Creusot fire brigade was called to the church in Montchanin late on Thursday morning. The fire had been set in a bookcase. The fire was quickly stopped and fortunately did not spread. The first investigations of the gendarmes assumes that another fire had been set, namely in a flowerpot".
"The case was taken very seriously by the authorities, because a church is sacred and one does not set fire to a religious building with impunity. History shows that a little can have very serious consequences. Deputy commander of the Autun Company, Captain Poyen went to the scene where the criminal identification unit was also mobilised to find clues."