Direct. Fire in Vaulx-en-Velin: ten dead including five children, Gérald Darmanin expected
By Writing News
Published on
updated on 16 Dec 22 at 11:00
Terrible. The balance sheet looks very heavy. A dramatic fire broke out on the night of this Thursday to Friday December 16, 2022 in a seven-storey apartment building located at 12 chemin des Barques in Vaulx-en-Velin (Rhône), near Lyon.
The provisional balance sheet shows 10 people dead, including five children aged 3 to 15. Four victims were taken care of in absolute urgency and 10 others were slightly injured. Of these, two are firefighters.
Four victims in absolute emergency
The SDMIS mobilized 170 firefighters and 65 vehicles. The fire is now extinguished. The prefect of the Rhône, Pascal Mailhos, the mayor of Vaulx-en-Velin, Hélène Geoffroy and the public prosecutor, Nicolas Jacquet, are on site.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin is expected on site.
“An alert for a major fire in a seven-storey apartment building (…) was given at 3:12 a.m. this Friday, December 16”, specifies the prefecture.
The origin of the fire, which was brought under control after the intervention of 170 firefighters and sixty-five vehicles, is currently unknown. The fire would have taken on the ground floor of this condominium located in the popular district of Mas du Taureau, in shock this Friday morning.
No track is ruled out, including criminal
The Lyon prosecutor’s office confirmed around 9:40 a.m. in a press release the human toll of 10 dead, including five children. There are four injured in absolute emergency and 15 in “relative emergency”.
The public prosecutor Nicolas Jacquet went there overnight. A criminal investigation was opened by the prosecution and attributed to the DZPJ. ” For now no hypothesis is ruled out, in particular the criminal trail“, adds the prosecution in its communication.
The teams of the technical and scientific police of the judicial police, the doctors of the medico-legal institute of Lyon and the experts of the fire section of the SNPS (national service of the scientific police) are on the spot.
Victim support associations have been mobilized, particularly within the family reception center set up in Vaulx.
“A woman threw her child out of the window and he was recovered”
A resident who “saw everything” in the night and who lives next to the burning building, testifies toLyon newsstill reeling from this terrible tragedy:
I was down there at the time of the fire, I saw the flames. There was solidarity between the inhabitants. I saw a woman throw her child out of the window which could be recovered. The mother then jumped but unfortunately she died. I haven’t slept all night. I am in shock, I have a thought for the families. The firefighters struggled to intervene, with all the trees in front of the building.
A “terrible tragedy”
The EELV president of the Métropole de Lyon deplored “a terrible tragedy”. “All my thoughts to the loved ones and families of the victims and the injured. The services of the Métropole are mobilized for the inhabitants, alongside the firefighters and caregivers engaged on site and the Mayor,” said Bruno Bernard.
The town of Vaulx-en-Velin is struck by a terrible tragedy. I express my sincere condolences to the families of the victims. We are mobilized for relocation. It is a tested moment. We are in a logistical moment and I asked the prefect to open an emergency and psychological cell. It is a time of mourning, we are going to mourn our dead and at the same time we are going to accompany the families.
“Horror has just hit our neighboring town of Vaulx-en-Velin. Ten people, including 5 children, lost their lives in a fire this morning. Our thoughts go out to the families and loved ones of the victims. I expressed the solidarity of the Lyonnaises and Lyonnais to the mayor Hélène Geoffroy ”, wrote on Twitter the ecological mayor of Lyon Grégory Doucet.
Elisabeth Bornethe Prime Minister who had returned to Vaulx-en-Velin last July expressed its solidarity with the victims.
“Sadness at the tragic fire that affected Vaulx-en-Velin. I extend my support to the victims and their families. I told Hélène Geoffroy of my solidarity. Recognition for firefighters and state services ”, written by the head of government on Twitter.
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