French Firefighters vehicle at work to extinguish a fire that broke out overnight at a residential building in a working-class neighbourhood of the southern French city of Nice, killed seven people, southern France, on 18 July 2024. (Valery Hache/ AFP)
A fire that broke out overnight at a residential building in a working-class neighbourhood of the southern French city of Nice killed seven people, firefighters said early on Thursday.
Rescuers were alerted at around 02:30 to the blaze in Les Moulins, the cause of which is still unknown. In spite of the substantial resources deployed, “unfortunately seven people died during this fire”, rescuers said.
One person was taken to hospital as an “absolute emergency” and two others were hospitalised as “relative emergencies”.
Rescuers said they were confronted by a “violent apartment fire” on the seventh floor of the building. They carried out three aerial ladder rescues and evacuated dozens.
Nice prosecutor Damien Martinelli said investigators were looking into a “criminal” cause for the fire.
“In light of the initial evidence, I have opened an investigation into acts of arson leading to death,” he told journalists at the scene.
Three children and a teenager were among the victims, he added.
In total, 25 fire engines and 72 firefighters were involved in tackling the fire.
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