The fire in a building located behind the Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville (BHV), one of the major Parisian brands, left at least seven injured, including five firefighters, on Tuesday June 25, according to a report from the mayor of the sector, Paris Center, Ariel Weil. The staff of the brand, in the heart of Paris, were evacuated.
According to an initial assessment, provided to Agence France-Presse by the councilor of Paris Center, a woman was first taken to hospital “in relative urgency”then a man “in absolute emergency”. Among the firefighters who arrived by the dozens to put out the fire, five ” have been hurt “he explained. ” At least one “ was caused by an electric arc which formed in the stairwell and made the intervention ” very difficult “.
The others were “by heat and inhalations”still according to the mayor, who underlined his “caution on the final balance sheet” Who “ [pourrait] be heavier. By midday, the fire was generally under control, said Ariel Weil.
The BHV will reopen its doors tomorrow “normally”
The fire broke out around 8:45 a.m. in this building on rue de la Verrerie, located behind the department store in this district in the heart of the capital. According to the security deputy at the central town hall, Nicolas Nordman, the fire spread from the first floor. When contacted, the Paris Fire Brigade (BSPP) did not immediately provide a report or an initial assessment of the damage.
The BHV was closed and evacuated before opening to the public. A security perimeter was established by the police while around ten fire trucks were deployed, noted an AFP journalist.
By mid-morning, a plume of smoke was emerging from the first floor of the building and flames were visible on the second floor of the building, which has six floors. The staff of the main BHV building, located on the sidewalk opposite the damaged building, had gathered in a neighboring building and the department store remained closed.
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“The store was not affected by the fire which broke out nearby”a spokesperson for the Société des Grands Stores (SGM), the commercial property owner of BHV Paris, told AFP. “The BHV will be closed all day because the area is closed off, but it will welcome customers normally from tomorrow”, Wednesday June 26, first day of summer sales, added SGM. The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, who opened the municipal council at the nearby City Hall, went to the department store for an update on the emergency response.
