A fire broke out on Saturday evening around 8 p.m. in a building in the city center, whose stairwell and ground floor apartment were on fire, according to firefighters. A 47-year-old woman died in this fire, probably of accidental origin, we learned from the prosecution.
No other victims were reported in this disaster, although Spanish tourists barely had time to evacuate the building.
This fire occurred during the Christmas market period, a traditionally very touristy period in Alsace and for which the Colmar Christmas market is very famous. The city’s mayor, Eric Straumann, told the regional daily Alsace that 17 people, notably Spaniards and Swiss mostly residing in furnished tourist accommodation nearby, will have to be rehoused.
A psychological unit was set up in a neighboring restaurant to accommodate people present in the building.