Lyon in shock after apartment block blaze kills 10, including children

Five children were among 10 people killed overnight when a fire broke out in an apartment building in a suburb of the eastern French city of Lyon, local authorities said on Friday. 19 other people were injured, some remain in critical condition.

Policemen guard a security perimeter as firefighters and rescuers work in a building of the Mas-Du-Taureau quarter where a fire caused many victims, including children, on December 16, 2022 in Vaulx-en-Velin. AFP - OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE

The fire broke out in a seven-storey building in the Mas du Taureau district in Vaulx-en-Velin, a town of nearly 50,000 inhabitants located near Lyon.

The alert was given at 3:12am local time, the Rhône prefecture said in a press release.

The five children who died in the fire were aged 3 to 15, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Friday morning.

"It's a shock, the death toll is extremely serious," Darmanin said, extending his condolences to the families of the victims.

Terrible incendie à Vaulx-en-Velin. Le bilan provisoire s’élève à 10 personnes décédées, dont 5 enfants. J’adresse toutes mes condoléances aux familles et proches des victimes. Nous nous rendons sur place ce matin avec @OlivierKlein93. https://t.co/0SX2yQCpWr

— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) December 16, 2022

He visited the scene alongside Olivier Klein, Minister for Cities and Housing, indicating that other government representatives were due to visit.

Klein said he spoke with the mayor of the town, Hélène Geoffroy, "to assure her of the State's support".

Nearly 170 firefighters and 65 fire trucks had been deployed to the scene according to the police.

Two firefighters suffered light injuries while battling the blaze, which broke out on the ground floor of the building and spread upwards, according to the prefecture's situation report published at 6:30am.

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"Horror has just hit our neighboring town" reacted the mayor of Lyon, Grégory Doucet on Friday on Twitter.

The cause of the fire was still unclear, authorities said, adding a security perimeter had been established.

Darmanin said an investigation had begun, specifying that there were "several hypotheses" into how the fire started.

The minister also assured that he had spoken to President Emmanuel Macron about the situation.

"For the time being, no hypothesis has been ruled out, in particular the criminal trail", public prosecutor Nicolas Jacquet told the press.