Residential building in an impoverish town near Lyon caught fire, killing the victims including five children
Authorities in France have announced that ten people, including five children, have died after a fire broke out in a residential building. According to a report by Reuters on Friday, December 16, the incident took place in an impoverished town near the city of Lyon.
Another fire took place in Vaulx-en-Velin that resulted in four people getting seriously injured. The report said, the fire started at 3 am local time, on the ground floor and spread throughout the seven storied building.
A statement by a neighbor in the report said, “At around 3.30 a.m., I heard shouting, so I ran out of my home…I saw the building, number 12, on my left burning on the ground floor…and people trying to get out”. The neighbour named Furkan Bag further said, “The fire was growing bigger and bigger … it was at the entrance of the building, they (rescue) could not get in.” Furkan added, he saw a woman jump to her death after she tried to escape the flames and smoke, the report stated.
Meanwhile, the local prosecutor’s office in Lyon has opened an investigation into the matter. They aim to determine the cause of the matter, however, the report said, “it could not rule out any hypothesis including arson”.
The report also added, neighbors in the area said they felt abandoned by the public authorities, as the building that caught on fire, had been in a poor condition. Aside from this, the report added, the ground floor had been occupied by drug dealers.
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