Vaulx-en-Velin fire
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| Date | 16 December 2022 |
|---|---|
| Time | c. 03:00 (UTC+01:00) |
| Location | Vaulx-en-Velin, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France |
| Coordinates | 45°46′56″N 4°54′49″E / 45.78222°N 4.91361°E |
| Deaths | 10 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 14 |
On 16 December 2022, a fire ravaged a residential building at 12 chemin des Barques in Vaulx-en-Velin, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. It resulted in killing 10 people, including five children, and injured 14.
The fire broke out at around 3 a.m. on the first floor of a 7-story apartment building located at 12 chemin des Barques in the district of Mas-du-Taureau in Vaulx-en-Velin.[1][2] The alert was given at 3:12 a.m. and the first members of the departmental-metropolitan fire and rescue service (SDMIS) arrive on the scene at three minutes later. A total of 170 firefighters and 65 fire engines were mobilized to put out the flames.[3] Smoke reportedly caused many to become disoriented and unable to locate evacuation routes, forcing many to evacuate by ladders and exterior windows.[4] Witnesses recalled residents smashing windows to try and climb out of the building and one mother who threw her child out of a window to be caught by a person on the ground.[5] At 6:30 a.m. the prefecture of Rhône announced that the fire was extinguished.[6]
Fatalities
Ten people, including five children, were killed by the blast. Fourteen people, including two firemen, were also injured.[6] In a press conference, Darmanin said that the ages of the children who died ranged from 3 to 15 years and that all those who died or were seriously injured in the fire were in the building at the time it broke out.[7]
Investigation
Although the causes of the fire remain initially unknown, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin confirmed, at 7:38 a.m., that there were several hypotheses relating to them.[8] If it does not specify which ones, Le Progrès suggested that the fire was caused by either "a boiler problem or a garbage fire".[1]
Aftermath
The provisional human toll being particularly heavy, the prefect of Rhône Pascal Mailhos announced the opening of a departmental operational center (COD) and the triggering of the number of victims plan.[2] Counseling centers were set up at two local schools that were believed to have the majority of victims attending.[5]