On 16 December 2022, a fire ravaged a residential building at 12 chemin des Barques in Vaulx-en-Velin, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. It resulted in killing 10 people, including five children, and injured 14.
| Date | 16 December 2022 |
|---|---|
| Time | c. 03:00 (UTC+01:00) |
| Location | Vaulx-en-Velin, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France |
| Coordinates | 45°46′56″N 4°54′49″E / 45.78222°N 4.91361°E |
| Deaths | 10 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 14 |
Fire
editThe fire broke out at around 3:00 a.m. on the first floor of a 7-story apartment building located at 12 chemin des Barques in the district of Mas-du-Taureau in Vaulx-en-Velin.[1][2] The alert was given at 3:12 a.m. and the first members of the departmental-metropolitan fire and rescue service (SDMIS) arrive on the scene at three minutes later. A total of 170 firefighters and 65 fire engines were mobilized to put out the flames.[3] Smoke reportedly caused many to become disoriented and unable to locate evacuation routes, forcing many to evacuate by ladders and exterior windows.[4] Witnesses recalled residents smashing windows to try and climb out of the building and one mother who threw her child out of a window to be caught by a person on the ground.[5] At 6:30 a.m. the prefecture of Rhône announced that the fire was extinguished.[6]
Fatalities
editTen people, including five children, were killed by the blast. Fourteen people, including two firemen, were also injured.[6] In a press conference, Darmanin said that the ages of the children who died ranged from 3 to 15 years and that all those who died or were seriously injured in the fire were in the building at the time it broke out.[7]
Investigation
editAlthough the causes of the fire remain initially unknown, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin confirmed, at 7:38 a.m., that there were several hypotheses relating to them.[8] If it does not specify which ones, Le Progrès suggested that the fire was caused by either "a boiler problem or a garbage fire".[1]
Aftermath
editThe provisional human toll being particularly heavy, the prefect of Rhône Pascal Mailhos announced the opening of a departmental operational center (COD) and the triggering of the number of victims plan.[2] Counseling centers were set up at two local schools that were believed to have the majority of victims attending.[5]
Response
editFrench Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, announced that he would visit the site with France's housing minister while offering his condolences to the family and friends of the victims.[9] Mailhos also went to the site with the mayor of Vaulx-en-Velin and the public prosecutor of Lyon, joined later by the Minister Delegate for the City and Housing Olivier Klein and Darmanin.[1]
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and football team Olympique Lyonnais also issued statements offering their thoughts to those affected.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Violent incendie à Vaulx-en-Velin: au moins 10 personnes décédées, dont cinq enfants" (in French). Le Progrès. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ a b "Violent incendie dans le Rhône, au moins 10 morts, dont 5 enfants" (in French). Le Point. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ Chaize, Nicolas (16 December 2022). "Métropole de Lyon : 10 morts dans un incendie à Vaulx-en-Velin" (in French). Lyon Capitale. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ Caplan, Anna Lazarus (December 16, 2022). "10 Dead, Including 5 Children, in France Apartment Building Fire". uk.sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
- ^ a b c Cipriani, Laurent; Adamson, Thomas (2022-12-16). "10 dead in France's worst residential fire in years". thepeterboroughexaminer.com. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
- ^ a b "L'incendie d'un immeuble à Vaulx-en-Velin fait au moins dix morts, dont cinq enfants" (in French). Le Monde. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ "Incendie à Vaulx-en-Velin: Gérald Darmanin confirme un bilan de 10 morts et annonce se rendre sur place". BFM TV. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ "Incendie d'un immeuble à Vaulx-en-Velin : "plusieurs existent affirme Gérald Darmanin"" (in French). CNews. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ Da Silva, Chantal (December 16, 2022). "5 children among 10 dead in France apartment fire". NBC News. Retrieved 2022-12-21.