Update

Photos: Eleven dead in fire at French holiday home for disabled

An investigation was underway to determine the cause of the blaze

Published: August 09, 2023 13:58 Last updated: August 09, 2023 19:09 Reuters

1 of 13

Wintzenheim: Eleven people died in a fire that tore through a holiday home for disabled people in eastern France in the early hours of Wednesday, officials said. Image Credit: AP

2 of 13

The blaze broke out around 6.30am (0430 GMT), as the holiday-goers with learning disabilities and their carers were still asleep in the two-storey building in the town of Wintzenheim, about 70 km (50 miles) south of Strasbourg. Image Credit: AP

3 of 13

"I can confirm there are 11 victims," deputy prosecutor Nathalie Kielwasser told reporters as Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and other officials visited the site of the fire. Image Credit: AFP

4 of 13

A firefighter told Borne, who described the blaze as a "shocking tragedy," that eight bodies had been found and three more were thought to have been located under the rubble. Image Credit: AP

5 of 13

Local media said the dead were 10 people with disabilities and one carer. Image Credit: AFP

6 of 13

A neighbour, Nathalie, told BFM TV that she heard people scream and saw huge clouds of smoke from her window. "Everything happened very quickly," an unnamed witness told France 3 TV. Image Credit: AFP

7 of 13

The holiday home was rented for the summer by two charities that take care of people with learning disabilities, with each group occupying one floor of the house. Image Credit: AFP

8 of 13

Twenty-eight people were staying there, 17 of whom managed to escape the fire. Image Credit: AFP

9 of 13

"A few of the people who were (sleeping) on the first floor managed to escape, but most of those who got out were on the ground floor," Lieutenant Colonel Philippe Hauwiller, who headed the rescue operations, told reporters earlier in the day. Image Credit: AFP

10 of 13

The fire destroyed about two-thirds of the building. Image Credit: AFP

11 of 13

An investigation was underway to determine the cause of the blaze. Image Credit: AFP

12 of 13

Kielwasser told reporters it had likely been a low-level fire that had burnt for a while before growing bigger and tearing the house down. Image Credit: AFP

13 of 13

Those missing were likely to have been aged between 25 and 50, Wintzenheim deputy mayor Daniel Leroy told BFM TV. Image Credit: AFP

Photos News

Photos: Eleven dead in fire at French holiday home for disabled

More From Photos

Fire in Spanish care home kills 10, injures 2

The Archbishop of Canterbury resigns. Why, how and what happens next?

Fire in Spanish care home kills 10, injures two

Mysterious diamond-laden necklace linked to Marie Antoinette sells for $4.8 million at auction

GULFNEWS SECTIONS

Trending

Photos: Eleven dead in fire at French holiday home for disabled

More From Photos

Fire in Spanish care home kills 10, injures 2

The Archbishop of Canterbury resigns. Why, how and what happens next?

Fire in Spanish care home kills 10, injures two

Mysterious diamond-laden necklace linked to Marie Antoinette sells for $4.8 million at auction

GULFNEWS SECTIONS