A white march in tribute to the victims of the fire which killed ten people last Friday in a residence in Vaulx-en-Velin brought together some 200 people on Thursday in this town near Lyon (Rhône).
Relatives and neighbors of bereaved families marched with white balloons before stopping in front of the damaged building to lay flowers and observe a minute of silence.
The fire, in which six adults and four children died, occurred at 3 a.m. in this seven-storey building, in a popular district undergoing urban renewal.
Several witnesses denounced in the media the dilapidated condition of the premises, the lack of fire-fighting devices and the presence of a deal point.
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The investigation is still ongoing to determine the causes of the fire which prompted several residents to jump into the void to escape the flames.
The “Le Rhône” residence, comprising 107 apartments in three buildings, was to be renovated as part of a safeguard plan launched in 2018 for a dozen dilapidated condominiums in the district, according to information available on the town hall website.
Studies carried out in this residence had "highlighted numerous technical and financial difficulties reflecting disorders in the equipment (elevators), water and electricity networks, which could raise the question of the safety of the inhabitants, particularly in the event of a fire. ”, according to a municipal report of December 2019.
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“They will jump, they will jump!”
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The socialist mayor of Vaulx-en-Velin Hélène Geoffroy deplored the delay of "four years" between obtaining funding and the launch of renovation work.
During a meeting with Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne in Matignon, she also pleaded for the government to launch a reflection on the support of “modest” co-owners who “sometimes encounter difficulties in maintaining and paying the charges”.
