Toulouse: After the fire in their building, a family begs its landlord for new accommodation
2 months after seeing part of their apartment in flames, fearing for their health, a family asks their landlord for new accommodation.
“At the stroke of 5 p.m., on a view of smoke. I then alerted the fire department. On March 29, at the end of the afternoon, Madame H. thought she saw hell. The 10-story building she occupies is in flames. In a panic, around thirty firefighters arrive to save the homes. But it’s a waste of time. The fire starting from the 5th floor has spread. The balcony and part of Madame H’s apartment, who lives on the 6th floor, are partly affected. Now homeless for several weeks, today, the victim and her small family can only count on her relatives.
“We’ve been hosting her for two months, her as well as her two children and her husband”, admits Romain, his kind. Since the fire, the family has asked to be rehoused in a new HLM. With a scorched balcony, walls that still smell of smoke, and cut ventilation, tenants feel unsafe. “On request just to be relocated elsewhere. We are afraid for our health as well as for the safety of my children and grandchildren”, worries Mrs H.
A difference of opinion
The landlord disagrees. Contacted, the Les Chalets group wanted to decide on the question of the unsanitary condition of the apartment: “The accommodation as such is habitable. An expert came by and analyzed that only the balcony had been affected by the flames. The family can therefore return to this apartment,” explains the landlord.
An answer that irritates Romain: “The first floor stinks of burning and the walls and ceiling are yellow with smoke. Do you think this is viable for a family of 4 with two people who have health issues? “.