Twenty-two people rescued by the ladders. A fire of great violence devastated early Sunday an apartment building in Saint Fons, near Lyons. The firefighters, who arrived in large numbers, were able to avoid the worst and rescue the inhabitants ready to defenestrate themselves to escape the flames.
Eleven people, including five children, were slightly intoxicated and treated by hospitals following this disaster which broke out around 6:30 a.m. in garages at the bottom of the five-storey building. A hundred firefighters and 37 machines were mobilized in the operation and the fire is now extinguished.
Ongoing investigation
“When the help arrived, many people were at the windows and threatened to open their doors (…) Their lives were really in danger”, added the firefighters. A further 20 people were brought to safety and a total of around 60 were involved. The cause of the accident is unknown at this stage.
“The intervention (was) very reactive and massive given the type of fire”, indicated for its part the prefecture, according to which 44 apartments are impacted including 10 heavily damaged. “The relocation operations are in progress”.
According to the sub-prefect of the region Emmanuelle Baron, quoted by the daily Progress, “the investigation is in the hands of justice, the prosecution has been seized”. The building concerned had already experienced a fire in 2004 but it is too early at this stage to establish “a link”, she added.