Fire Destroys Marcel Chevalier Foundation's Fossil Collection and Archives in Arinsal

A fire two weeks ago at the former Aigües d'Arinsal building in Arinsal has likely destroyed the Marcel Chevalier Foundation's fossil collection and geological archives, casting serious doubt on the group's future despite offers of support from local authorities.

The blaze, which spared artistic elements like a bronze statue of a hiker removed by firefighters and an intact ceramic mural of the water cycle, gutted an adjacent room used by the foundation as storage since 2012. The roof collapsed, and access to the site remains closed, leaving president Valentí Turu pessimistic about recovery. Although documents were kept in partially fire-resistant metal cabinets, he doubts anything can be salvaged in usable condition amid the debris.

The losses include about 200 fossils—"lithic pieces" of flora and fauna from 300 to 400 million years ago, collected over 30 years of excavations across Andorra and inventoried individually. Pre-2002 records, stored on paper, photos, and CDs, cover more than 250 outcrop descriptions from La Massana, Ordino, and sites in Andorra la Vella, Encamp, Canillo, Sant Julià de Lòria, El Pas de la Casa, as well as the Pyrenees (Cerdanya, Alt Urgell, Pallars Sobirà and Jussà, La Ribagorça, Broto), Cantabrian Mountains, and central Iberian System. These underpinned over 100 scientific articles, maps, books, journals, soil samples, and materials essential for research projects, grant applications, education, and outreach. The foundation estimates the total value at around €200,000.

Turu described the impact as losing key pieces of a puzzle: without them, interpreting Andorra's natural history becomes impossible. A duplicate fossil set donated to the heritage service in 2004 survives, but working copies for research do not. The foundation, headquartered at the Centre Cultural de la Llacuna, also lost intangible assets that formed its core value.

An auditor will assess the damage next week, after which the group plans to discuss its possible closure. Insurance coverage for the building's contents—and whether the foundation's materials qualified—remains unclear. Recovery efforts would require significant time and funds the nonprofit lacks. "Without the archive and collections, continuing makes little sense," Turu said, though support from La Massana commune and other research bodies has provided some encouragement.