Our colleagues from Le
Progrès
describe
“a scene of horror”
.
Two people were seriously burned during the night from Saturday to Sunday, in the fire of two separate buildings in Villeurbanne,
Le Figaro
learned from the Departmental and Metropolitan Fire and Rescue Service (SDMIS) confirming information from the Lyon daily.
Two fires broke out in the entrance halls of two adjoining buildings.
According to a prefectural source, the origin of the disaster was voluntary.
An investigation was opened and entrusted to departmental security.
Fire and smoke spread through the stairwells and upstairs.
A 69-year-old resident suffered burns on 20% of her body, and a 57-year-old man suffered 80% burns.
The latter jumped out of the window, probably to escape the flames.
The two victims were transported in a state of absolute emergency to hospitals in the Lyon region.
Four people are also in a state of relative emergency, apparently inconvenienced by the smoke.
In total, 50 people were affected.
The fire broke out around 1:15 a.m. at 191 rue Léon-Blum.
At the height of the operations, 22 fire engines were mobilized, in addition to the Samu.
Investigators are still trying to identify the perpetrator(s) of this fire.
No arrests have been made at this stage.
According to
Le Progrès
, 40 residents of the two buildings were evacuated.
Some of them were temporarily relocated to a gymnasium.