Following the fire which caused the death of seven people including four children in Nice on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, the investigation is progressing and a first arrest has just been made.
The essential
- 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 working-class Moulins district. At least seven people died and three others were injured, according to information from France Bleu Azur. According to Anne Ramos, deputy mayor of Nice, the victims were “an entire family (…) one and the same family on the top floor of the building,” she told BFMTV. Three young children and a teenager were among the victims.
- The criminal lead is favored. An investigation into arson resulting in death has been opened by the public prosecutor of Nice Damien Martinelli. According to the first elements of the investigation and the video surveillance images, three hooded people entered the building during the night. The lead of a premeditated crime, an assassination or a settling of scores that could be linked to drug trafficking is growing stronger.
- On Friday, a person was arrested and taken into custody. It was not one of the three hooded individuals they were looking for, but someone from their entourage.
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1:00 p.m. – Victims’ families not targeted?
If seven people from the same family died in the fire, it is very likely that he was not the target of the criminals. According to Le Parisien, the man who was targeted by the arsonists was not present in the building at the time of the events, nor were his relatives. The Comorian family would therefore have been collateral victims.
12:30 – Who is the person arrested?
The person currently in custody in connection with the fire case is not one of the three suspects spotted on CCTV. However, according to a source close to the case at Le Figaro, he is a “close” person to the trio. This man is considered “interesting” for the investigation.
12:00 – A family without problems
The seven victims who died in the fire were part of the same family. According to La Provence, they had been living in the Moulins district for eleven years. They were originally from the Comoros. “It was a quiet, problem-free family. The parents were hard workers. They didn’t count their hours. The father had a job in Monaco, the mother was a cleaner in Nice. They were calm people. Their children were all active in the district and in associations,” describes a family friend.
11:40 – Police custody confirmed by the prosecutor
A person was arrested and taken into custody. Public prosecutor Damien Martinelli confirmed to Nice-Matin that a person is in custody. However, he warned “of the need to respect the secrecy and confidentiality of the investigation, which is a guarantee of efficiency.”
11:15 – Drug trafficking trail explored
The Nice public prosecutor indicated on Thursday that at this stage of the investigation, the “criminal” lead is being favored. More precisely, “the lead of facts occurring in the context of a conflict against a backdrop of drug trafficking, without any connection to the victims and their families, is being explored.” However, it is advisable to remain cautious for the moment regarding the motive for the act, which has not been confirmed.
10:40 – Three individuals still wanted
By analyzing the video surveillance, three individuals were seen entering the building on the evening of the tragedy a few minutes before the fire. They are said to have broken down the door of the building to enter and to have come out again shortly after, fleeing. They are still actively being sought.
10:24 – First arrest
While seven people died in the fire on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, a first arrest was made. One person was arrested and taken into custody, revealed BFMTV. However, it is not one of the three individuals wanted, who were spotted on surveillance camera images on the evening of the tragedy, but someone from their entourage.
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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 a relative emergency, were sent to Lenval hospital. The fire apparently did 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, said on Thursday morning that “there were 10 people inside the apartment. They are all from the same family or have family ties” to BFMTV. The deceased family was of Comorian origin.
“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. Another minor died, a teenager. 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.”
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 to assume that it was arson,” said the magistrate. A crisis unit to accommodate families will be set up, announced the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi sur 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.