France: large-scale fire in Lyon, ten dead, including 5 children

Ten people, including five children, have died in a fire in an apartment building near Lyon, local authorities say. Four are in critical condition, 10 people were slightly injured, including two firefighters.

A fire that broke out in a seven-story apartment building in Volx-en-Velin was fought by 170 firefighters. The fire was contained, but Olivier Klein, Minister Delegate for Cities and Housing for the Born Region, tweeted this morning: “Preliminary data gives goosebumps.”

Gérard Darmanin, the interior minister, said the cause of the fire is still unknown and praised the work of the firefighters who rescued people under “extremely difficult conditions.” The dead children, according to him, were from three to 15 years old.

A local resident says: “I was awakened by screams… We wanted to help people, but the smoke was too strong. I saw a dead woman… It’s terrible.” Another neighbor said: “I told my child not to go to school, he is in shock. It hurt him to hear such cries, cries of horror. My legs are shaking.”

The apartment building is part of a residential complex in the suburbs of Lyon. The flames most likely started on the ground floor and then spread upwards, writes air force.