Eleven people lost their lives on Wednesday in a holiday cottage which caught fire at dawn near Colmar, said the deputy prosecutor.
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The toll is very heavy after the fire that broke out early Wednesday morning in a holiday cottage welcoming disabled people. Eleven people died out of the 28 who were there at the time of the tragedy. The bodies were spotted by drones, by direct search and by dogs, said Lieutenant Colonel Philippe Hauwiller.
Those present on the ground floor were able to quickly leave the premises, but not those who were upstairs, said the secretary general of the Haut-Rhin prefecture, Christophe Marot. The cottage, which accommodated adults with a slight mental disability, was rented by an association of Nancy called Oxygen adapted holidays, according to the town hall of the Lorraine city. Christophe Marot, specified that of the 28 people who were on the spot at the time of the incident, 17 of them had been evacuated.
” The fire was quickly brought under control despite the violence of the flames “, announced in a press release the prefecture of Haut-Rhin, increasing the toll of the firefighters who had initially announced to AFP a toll of seven missing people. “ Seventeen people were evacuated. There is a person in relative emergency evacuated to the hospital and a shocked person “, specified the prefecture, adding that these people belong to “ a group of adults from Nancy for the holidays “.
President Emmanuel Macron addressed his “ thoughts to the victims and their relatives.
In Wintzenheim, the flames ravaged a lodging which accommodated people with disabilities and their companions. Faced with this tragedy, my thoughts go out to the victims, to the injured, to their loved ones. Thank you to our security forces and our mobilized emergency services.
—Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 9, 2023
” Following the terrible fire that took place in Wintzenheim last night, I am going there “, with the Minister of Solidarity Aurore Bergé, indicated Élisabeth Borne on Twitter (X). ” My first thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones. I salute the mobilization of the firefighters “, she added. On the spot, the Prime Minister expressed ” all (her) sadness and (her) solidarity “.
A “widespread conflagration”
The Alsatian-style half-timbered building located in Wintzenheim was the scene of a ” general conflagration “, according to the firefighters. In the middle of the morning, the firefighters continued to water the disaster with the help of fire hoses, noted an AFP photographer. The roof was destroyed by the flames and on the first floor, the wooden frame, charred, is visible.
Other firefighters clear the disaster from which smoke still escapes. A search party with dogs is present nearby.
The building is an old barn renovated into a 500 square meter gite with two floors and an attic, according to firefighters, who said the fire started on the ground floor.
(With AFP)