Eleven people dead after fire at holiday home in France
A group of mentally disabled people were on holiday at the property when the blaze broke out on Wednesday morning
Four fire engines and 76 firefighters were among the emergency teams to respond to the fire
vmargineanu / Shutterstock
Eleven people have died after a fire at a holiday home in eastern France.
The blaze broke out at around 06:30 on Wednesday (August 9) at a gîte in La Forge, Wintzenheim (Haut-Rhin), during a residential holiday for mentally disabled people. Wintzenheim is situated near the German border, north of Mulhouse.
The home, a former barn, had been rented by a Lorraine association.
“Eleven people are still unaccounted for,” said Christophe Marot, secretary general of the Haut-Rhin prefecture.
This includes one of the group’s helpers.
“Unfortunately, there is not much doubt: all these people were present in the gîte and were unable to get out.
“Searches are ongoing. We are almost certain of the deaths of the missing people. But we are staying alert as long as we have not found all of the bodies.”
The vice prosecutor of nearby Colmar later confirmed that 11 people had died.
President Emmanuel Macron, reacting on X (formerly Twitter), said: “In the face of this tragedy, my thoughts are with the victims, the injured and their families. Thank you to our security forces and our emergency services.”
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne was set to visit the site on Wednesday with the French Minister for Solidarity and Family, Aurore Bergé.
Ms Borne said: “My first thoughts are with the victims and their families. I salute the fire brigade’s response.”
Suite au terrible incendie qui a eu lieu à Wintzenheim cette nuit, je me rends sur place avec @auroreberge
Mes premières pensées vont vers les victimes et leurs proches. Je salue la mobilisation des sapeurs-pompiers.
— Élisabeth BORNE (@Elisabeth_Borne) August 9, 2023
The fire destroyed 300m2 of the gîte’s 500m2 space, the local prefect said, although the blaze was “quickly brought under control despite the intensity of the flames”, said Ms Borne.
Four fire engines, 76 firefighters, four ambulances, an advanced medical team, and four gendarmes attended the scene.
France’s interior minister Gérald Darmanin said: “Despite the fast and brave intervention of the firefighters, which I salute, there will unfortunately be several victims.”
A neighbour recounted the situation to France 3. She said: “I was woken by my partner who was taking the dog out, and he came to find me saying he had heard people screaming ‘there’s a fire’, and indeed, we saw a big cloud of smoke and many flames.
“My partner said he saw people outside, and we thought that people had made it out. It all happened very fast, the firefighters arrived very quickly, and it burned very rapidly.”
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