On the night of Wednesday to Thursday, a fire caused the death of seven people including four children in Nice. An investigation into arson has been opened by the public prosecutor.
Horror in Nice. A fire broke out on the night of Wednesday 17 to Thursday 18 July at around 2:30 a.m. on the 7th floor of an apartment on rue de la Santoline, in the Moulins district. At least seven people died and three others were injured according to information from France Bleu Azur. On site, firefighters tried everything to save the individuals trapped by the flames. Three aerial ladders were deployed, allowing three people to be saved.
Seven victims and one person in critical condition
In total, seven people died, one was taken to Pasteur 2 hospital as an emergency, and two others, one of whom was in relative emergency, were sent to Lenval hospital. According to Anne Ramos, 2nd deputy mayor of Nice, it “would seem” that the victims were “an entire family (…) one and the same family on the top floor of the building,” she told BFMTV.
The fire, however, has clearly not spread to the other apartments in the building. The stairwell remains inaccessible, and 33 evacuated people will now have to be rehoused, according to the local elected official. The prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes, Hugues Moutouh, stated on Thursday morning that “there were 10 people inside the apartment. They are all from the same family or have family ties” to BFMTV.
“We are heading towards arson,” assures the prosecutor
On X, the resigning Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin confirmed “the death of at least three young children” among the seven victims. A friend of the family affected by this fire told BFMTV on the spot that they “did not have the means to get out (…) As soon as I arrived, I saw the firefighters there. They couldn’t tell me anything, they just told me that there were two people who had survived.”
For the time being, and as specified by BFMTV, the criminal track is favored. An investigation into arson leading to death has been opened by the public prosecutor of Nice Damien Martinelli. “We are starting with arson,” said the magistrate. A crisis unit to accommodate the families will be set up, the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, has already announced on X. The elected official expressed his “immense emotion”, sending his “thoughts” to the victims’ relatives. “Immense emotion following a terrible fire in the Moulins district of Nice” posted the deputy and departmental councilor of the Alpes Maritimes, Éric Ciotti.
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08:52 – Could the crime be classified as murder?
“Everything seems to show that there is a criminal origin” declared Christian Estrosi, the mayor of Nice on France Bleu Azur. This is why it cannot be ruled out that the fire was premeditated, which would mean that the crime could be classified as murder. A 23-year-old man who threw himself out of a window was transported to Pasteur 2 hospital, he is in absolute emergency. At this stage, the assessment is not final.
08:41 – “Hooded people” seen at the scene?
While the criminal origin is favored, whether by the mayor of the city Christian Estrosi or the public prosecutor of Nice Damien Martinelli, the judicial police of Marseille bring new elements this Thursday morning. “From what we were able to analyze on the video surveillance images, hooded people could have been seen in the area” reports the elected official of Nice in the columns of France Bleu Azur.
08:39 – 4 children died in the fire
The toll is rising. According to the public prosecutor of Nice, “seven people died, including four children” and not three as had been indicated. The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, indicated that it was a Comorian family.
08:36 – Two people jumped out of windows
Two people jumped out of the window, one of the 7 victims of the fire. “The people who survived are those who were closest to the facade and who were able to be extracted,” said the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes Hugues Moutouh on BFMTV this Thursday morning. “We are all in shock, we are very moved. The mother went to warn her children to take them to safety and she went back into the fire to go get her three little ones. She did not come back,” he continued, very moved.
08:22 – The three dead children were aged 5, 7 and 10
While scientific experts are expected on site after the opening of an investigation into arson resulting in death, the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes Hugues Moutouh specifies that the three dead children were aged 5, 7 and 10 years old on BFMTV. The other victims are a teenager, two women and a man, the media specifies. “I want to salute the rescue forces who intervened quickly (…) and who were able to extract five people from the flames,” he specifies.