Fire in a building near the Town Hall in Paris: seven injured including five firefighters, one man in absolute emergency, what we know

Seven people, including five firefighters, were injured on Tuesday June 25, 2024 in the fire in a residential building located behind the Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville (BHV), in the heart of Paris, whose staff was evacuated, according to an initial report from the mayor of the sector and a police source.

The fire broke out around 8:45 a.m. in the six-story building located at the corner of rue de la Verrerie and rue du Temple, just behind the department store, in the heart of the Marais district and a stone’s throw from the Hotel of City. According to an initial assessment provided to AFP by the mayor (PS) of Paris Centre, Ariel Weil, a woman was first taken to the hospital “in relative emergency” then a man “in absolute emergency”.

Among the dozens of firefighters who arrived to put out the fire, five “were injured,” he said. This report was confirmed to AFP by a police source present on site. According to Ariel Weil, “at least one” firefighter was injured by an electric arc which formed in the stairwell and made the intervention “very difficult”. The others were “by heat and inhalation,” he said.

The fire was brought under control

At the start of the afternoon, the fire was definitely under control, said Ariel Weil, but the area remains cordoned off until further notice, “floors” of the building threatening to collapse. According to the security deputy at the central town hall, Nicolas Nordman, the fire spread from the first floor.

The manager of the bistro located on the ground floor did not wish to comment. Contacted, the Paris Fire Brigade (BSPP) had not yet provided a human and material assessment as of the afternoon.

The BHV was closed and evacuated before opening to the public. A security perimeter was established by the police around the intersection while around ten fire trucks were deployed, noted an AFP journalist. By mid-morning, a plume of smoke was coming from the first and second floors of the building, where flames were visible through the windows.

Firefighters deployed large ladders, baskets, fire hoses and drones, according to Ariel Weil, to put out the fire. Staff from the main BHV building, located on the sidewalk opposite the damaged building, gathered in a neighboring building and the department store remained closed. “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 (Tuesday) because the area is closed off, but it will welcome customers normally from tomorrow”, Wednesday, the first day of the summer sales, added the SGM.

“Does it smell burnt?”

The mayor of the capital, Anne Hidalgo, who opened the Paris Council at the nearby City Hall, went to the department store for an update on the emergency response. The fire disrupted the start of the session devoted to the City’s accounts. “It smells burnt, yes,” the mayor suddenly said.

Informed by her colleagues, she immediately clarified that “this is not City Hall” and triggered laughter from certain elected officials. “But it can remain serious,” she added, inviting elected officials “not to laugh too much about it.”