An arson attack ravaged an apartment during the night from Thursday to Friday, in Miramas (Bouches-du-Rhône), leaving four people in the same family seriously injured. The vital prognosis of the mother and her two five-year-old children is in jeopardy.
The fire broke out shortly after 2 a.m. in an apartment located on rue de Wagram, in the Molières district. The flames ravaged two homes before being brought under control by firefighters, who mobilized 46 men and 16 engines.
The victims included a 41-year-old mother and her five-year-old son, both seriously burned and unconscious. The mother and child were rushed by helicopter to a hospital. The boy's 69-year-old father and twin suffered burns to their faces and hands, but their injuries were less serious. The little girl, conscious but shocked, is also hospitalized.
A jerrycan in front of the front door
The criminal origin of the fire is beyond doubt, announced the public prosecutor of Aix-en-Provence, Jean-Luc Blachon, this Friday afternoon: “the first investigations made it possible to conclude with certainty that the fire had a criminal origin”. A jerry can was found outside the front door of the apartment. “The fire spread quickly from the door inwards, trapping its occupants”also explained the magistrate, during his trip to the scene.
The prosecution opened an investigation for “attempted homicide by an organized gang” and “deliberate destruction by fire by an organized gang likely to create a danger for people”. The victims' family is unfavorably known to the police, according to consistent sources.
-Rapid intervention
The rapid intervention of the firefighters made it possible to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to the 15 other apartments in the building. Eleven residents were evacuated during the operation, but were able to return to their homes after emergency services secured the scene.
Investigators from the Interdepartmental Directorate of Judicial Police (DIPJ) of Marseille were responsible for the investigations.
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