“Dramatic”: elected officials from the Rhône react to the fatal fire
“Dramatic”. The mayor of Bron (Rhône), Jérémie Bréaud, addresses his “thoughts to the families of the victims and the injured”.
He supports the firefighters and the mayor of Vaulx-en-Velin, Hélène Geoffroy.
For his part, Benjamin Badouard, co-president of the Ecologists in the metropolis of Lyon, also evokes a “dramatic fire this night”.
He addresses all his thoughts “to the families and loved ones of the victims” and thanks the firefighters “for their intervention which avoided additional tragedies”.
“A shock”: Gérald Darmanin announces going to Vaulx-en-Velin
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin reacted this Friday morning to this fatal fire. He announced to go there quickly to meet the rescue forces on site.
“It’s obviously a shock, the toll is extremely serious,” he said.
The Minister of the Interior spoke with Emmanuel Macron ‘tyout throughout the night’ to discuss this fire.
“We heard screams”: a neighbor of the burned building testifies
On BFMTV, Sarem living in Vaulx-en-Velin 100 m from the burnt building, says he was awakened by the fire.
“Around 2 a.m., 2:25 a.m., we hear screams, children screaming. When we opened the windows, we saw smoke coming out and suddenly we went downstairs,” he explains.
“Neighbors came with a ladder, we were still able to evacuate people who live on the first floor, on the garden side, towards the secondary entrance”, he says.
Housing Minister Olivier Klein announces that he will go there
The Minister Delegate in charge of the City and Housing, Olivier Klein, goes on the spot, this Friday morning, “to be alongside the inhabitants, the elected officials and the relief”.
“A violent fire broke out last night in Vaulx-en-Velin, he wrote, on Twitter. The provisional report is chilling.”
He says he spoke with the mayor of the town, Hélène Geoffroy “to assure him of the support of the State”.
Origin of fire unknown
Although the fire was put out by firefighters, the cause of the fire is currently unknown. “It is too early to consider the origin”, explains David Annotel of the federation of firefighters.
The fire started shortly after 3 a.m. and started on the ground floor before spreading to the upper floors, according to the first elements.
Vaulx-en-Velin: 170 firefighters mobilized, the fire extinguished
A total of 170 firefighters and 65 vehicles are mobilized on site, in Vaulx-en-Velin (Rhône).
The fire is extinguished, specifies the prefecture of the department, in a point of situation, at 6:30 am.
Vaulx-en-Velin: “the fire would have started from the ground floor”
The fire which broke out last night, in a building in Vaulx-en-Velin, “would have started from the ground floor”, explains “according to the elements”, David Annotel, of the federation of firefighters of France, on the set of BFMTV.
“[L’incendie] would have made a jump to the third floor, of a building which has a basement and seven upper floors”, he adds.
With a fire starting on the ground floor, David Annotel specifies that it is “the whole building which will be affected by the disaster”.
If it is possible to determine where the fire started, “it is too early to be able to consider the origin”, he concludes.
Vaulx-en-Velin: a security perimeter set up
If the fire could be extinguished by the hundred firefighters mobilized, recognitions are still in progress within the building ravaged by the flames.
A large security perimeter was set up by the police in the area of the burned building. The prefect of the Rhône, the regional prefect and the mayor of Vaulx-en-Velin are on site.
Rhône: at least 10 dead in a fire in Vaulx-en-Velin
A violent fire broke out in Vaulx-en-Velin in a building with seven floors and a basement this Friday morning. According to the first assessment of the prefecture, at least 10 people died, including five children.
Four people are in absolute emergency and 10 others were slightly injured, including two firefighters who intervened on the spot.