This Monday morning, around 5 a.m., four people died in a fire in a building in the 3rd arrondissement of Lyon. What happened? Who are the victims? Where is the investigation? 20 Minutes takes stock.
What happened?
Around 5:10 a.m., a fire broke out in a ten-story building, rue André Philip, in the 3rd arrondissement of Lyon, in the Part Dieu district. The fire was extinguished around 7 a.m., thanks to the mobilization of 78 firefighters and the deployment of 34 engines. The fire did not spread to the ground floor or the upper floors. Four Samu du Rhône crews were also called upon.
Despite rapid treatment by emergency services, four people died. Twelve others were examined and a gymnasium was opened by the city of Lyon to accommodate those affected, the Rhône prefecture said. “The other people who live in the building were asked to stay in their accommodation,” said prefect Fabrice Rosay, secretary general of the Rhône prefecture.
Who are the victims?
The victims are two women and two men, aged between 30 and 40, according to the first elements of the investigation. “The fumes are a priori the cause of death [des victimes]they were not burned,” said Fabrice Rosay, who came to the scene of the fire. When help arrived, the victims “were in cardio-respiratory arrest”. Despite attempts, “they could not be resuscitated,” he added.
According to the mayor of the 3rd arrondissement of Lyon, Marion Sessiecq, the victims are “people who, a priori, were squatting in the cellars of this building”, she indicated on site. Asked to know if the victims were squatting in the basement of the building, the prefect replied that he did not know “but in any case these four people were present” in this place where there “is no housing”, he explained.
Where is the investigation?
“The fire broke out in the basement, which is where the victims were found. We do not know if it was due to the presence of these people or to another event that caused the fire, said the prefect. The building belongs to a social landlord.
“The municipal social action center had filed a pre-complaint a few days ago […] because they had knowledge of illicit occupations. Afterwards, people were able to leave, others came back, I think that unfortunately, people who have to live in these situations do as best they can,” explained Marion Sessiecq. Lieutenant-Colonel Christophe Perret, in charge of the rescue, declared that the fire broke out in a room of around twenty m2 which was “squatted”, set up for living.
All our articles on fires
A judicial investigation was opened to determine the causes of the incident. The scientific and technical police are on site. “It is difficult at this stage to know the origin of the fire and what justifies the presence of these four people on site,” the prefect further clarified.
