1977 lava flow at Piton Sainte-Rose
Piton Sainte-Rose is one of the villages of the commune. Just for the record, it is the easternmost point of French land on our planisphere!
Large plain which slopes gently towards the sea, it represents a wider belt of dwellings compared to Sainte-rose or Bois Blanc which are bordered by the sea and the mountains. This is where on April 23, 1977, the volcano woke up during the Easter weekend.
After about 200 years, after a threat from the side of Bois Blanc the day before, but which had stopped a short distance from the houses, the volcano began to flow outside the enclosure. And Good Friday becomes the Stations of the Cross for the population of the village who sees the tongues of fire descending towards them, and this, at an impressive speed.
The evacuation takes place in great chaos. People are leaving as fast as they can leaving behind everything they own. The flow follows the route of the Ravine Lacroix which crosses the village and when the slope becomes gentler, it widens between the church and the service station.
The lava ends its course in the sea and in 2 days, everything is over. Result: no human victims, a few dead animals grilled in their enclosure, destroyed houses, separated families (everyone ran in the direction they could and it is the only road that links north to south by the east) . The walls of the gendarmerie held but everything burned there, the gas station tanks did not explode, and the church resisted, although the lava reached the middle of the building.
This episode materializes one of the greatest fears of the population, the memory of which is still painful today. It was so exceptional that it led to the decision of the authorities to create the volcano observatory which today makes it possible to anticipate each eruption.
Photos offered by Didier Mailly taken from the site furnace.info
A permanent exhibition on this flow is offered in the former premises of the gendarmerie and the church has long since reopened its doors to parishioners and passing visitors. When you go around the island, stop! it's impressive.
For more information on lava flows, visit the website
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