Vaulx-en-Velin fire

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.

Vaulx-en-Velin fire
Date16 December 2022 (2022-12-16)
Timec. 03:00 (UTC+01:00)
LocationVaulx-en-Velin, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
Coordinates45°46′56″N 4°54′49″E
Deaths10
Non-fatal injuries14

Fire

The fire broke out at around 3:00 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]

Response

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, announced that he would visit the site with France's housing minister while offering his condolences to the family and friends of the victims.[9] Mailhos also went to the site with the mayor of Vaulx-en-Velin and the public prosecutor of Lyon, joined later by the Minister Delegate for the City and Housing Olivier Klein and Darmanin.[1]

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and football team Olympique Lyonnais also issued statements offering their thoughts to those affected.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Violent incendie à Vaulx-en-Velin: au moins 10 personnes décédées, dont cinq enfants" (in French). Le Progrès. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  2. "Violent incendie dans le Rhône, au moins 10 morts, dont 5 enfants" (in French). Le Point. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  3. Chaize, Nicolas (16 December 2022). "Métropole de Lyon : 10 morts dans un incendie à Vaulx-en-Velin" (in French). Lyon Capitale. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  4. Caplan, Anna Lazarus (December 16, 2022). "10 Dead, Including 5 Children, in France Apartment Building Fire". uk.sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  5. Cipriani, Laurent; Adamson, Thomas (2022-12-16). "10 dead in France's worst residential fire in years". thepeterboroughexaminer.com. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  6. "L'incendie d'un immeuble à Vaulx-en-Velin fait au moins dix morts, dont cinq enfants" (in French). Le Monde. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  7. "Incendie à Vaulx-en-Velin: Gérald Darmanin confirme un bilan de 10 morts et annonce se rendre sur place". BFM TV. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  8. "Incendie d'un immeuble à Vaulx-en-Velin : "plusieurs existent affirme Gérald Darmanin"" (in French). CNews. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  9. Da Silva, Chantal (December 16, 2022). "5 children among 10 dead in France apartment fire". NBC News. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
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