On 12 June 2020, "Perle" caught fire in dry dock while undergoing major renovations. The fire broke out around 1035 local time in the forward section of the submarine and was described as being "unbelievably fierce". According to French naval sources, there were no weapons or nuclear fuel aboard at the time. In October 2020 it was announced that Perle would be repaired using the forward section of the decommissioned boat, Saphir. The repairs were projected to be completed in 2023.