The dawn blaze at the Leblanc factory in La Couture Boussey, in the Normandy region, incinerated 1,400 clarinets, along with the entire stock of spare keys, said Annelies Pocovi.
``I am completely crushed, we are all trying to comfort each other,'' said Pocovi, director of Leblanc France. She said the cause of the fire was not known.
The French factory, which has 37 employees, was founded under the name Ets. D. Noblet in 1750, when the flourishing of instrumental music at the court of King Louis XV created a demand for musical instruments.
Noblet _ one of the oldest continuously operating companies in France _ was later taken over by Leblanc Corp., based in Kenosha, Wis.
Mike Johnson, vice president for communications for the company in Kenosha, said the old, famous and other distinctive instruments are kept in a museum a few blocks from the devastated factory, and were spared by the blaze.
Pocovi said the extent of the damage was still unclear because part of the complex that survived the blaze had been contaminated by chlorine, which is used in making the instruments.
She said, however, that specialized machinery to make the instruments was not damaged and colleagues in Wisconsin would provide spare parts. The flames also didn't reach the stocks of specially crafted wood pieces for clarinets, though the company would inevitably be unable to supply its clients on time.
``We will be able to go back to work, I just hope that it happens as quickly as possible,'' she said.
Leblanc Corp. director Leon Pascucci ``has given us lots of support, which is very important for the French employees,'' she added.
