PARIS: Two children died yesterday in an apartment fire in the southwest French city of Libourne, as another blaze swept through a seven-story building in Paris and injured 17.
Two brothers, one four years old and the other 18 months, died in the fire in Libourne, which also left their five-year-old sister in critical condition, said Mayor Philippe Buisson and police.
Their mother managed to escape the fire, whose cause is unknown, the mayor said.
In Paris, 17 people were injured, including five who were in a very serious condition after being rescued from the blaze, which broke out shortly after 2:00 p.m. (1200 GMT) in the eastern Belleville district.
"No one was killed. Five people are in a very serious condition and have been taken to hospital and 12 others are in a serious condition," fire service spokesman Christian Beau told journalists.
A police source told AFP a criminal investigation had been opened in the Paris fire, indicating officials may suspect arson — though Housing Minister Cecile Duflot, who visited the scene, said officials were "uncertain" about the cause.
"There are between 130 and 150 people to find housing for. All the families will be given lodging by tonight, as close as possible to their homes," Duflot said.
"This building's problem is the one a lot of Parisian buildings have: lots of apartments and only one stairwell."
Rescue workers said a woman who threw herself out of a window was among those very seriously injured. Around 20 other residents had to be evacuated from the building.
FROM: agence france presse
A total of 234 firefighters battled for two hours to bring the blaze under control, and were still struggling to put in out late yesterday afternoon.
"Very few apartments were affected, but the fire, which started in the basement and spread up the stairs, blocked several people's escape. If we hadn't come, 12 people would be dead," said Christian Beauthe of the rescue brigade, which used long ladders to get residents out.
The neighborhood is densely populated, with a large Asian community. Sixty-four fire trucks responded to the blaze, which started in a basement store-room and spread all the way to the top floor via the wooden stairwell.
"People were panicked. There were a dozen of us outside, we brought a ladder and a bed sheet and managed to get one person out through the window, but there was another who refused to wait and jumped," said Jean Junior Desir, a caretaker in a nearby building.
"It went very quickly. I just had enough time to grab a skirt," said a ground-floor resident, who claimed a couch stored in the hall had started the blaze.
A neighbor across the street said he had heard people yelling from their windows for help. "An old man was going to jump from the third or fourth story, but some young people stopped him," he said.
FROM: AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE
South France fire kills two children
