Early this Tuesday morning, a fire broke out in the basement of a building on Rue de Vevey in Bulle. Despite the intervention of the firefighters, who quickly brought the fire under control, heavy smoke spread to several buildings.
Unfortunately, a 52-year-old man and his 13-year-old daughter died from carbon monoxide poisoning. In addition, around 20 injured people were taken to hospital by ambulance and a woman was airlifted by REGA. In total, around 90 people were evacuated.
See the testimonies of two residents of the building:
Vehicles on fire
The fire started during the night. The police were alerted at 2:30 a.m. On site, they found three vehicles on fire in the underground garage. “We don’t yet know the exact cause of the fire,” explains Gino Frangone, spokesman for the cantonal police.
“A vehicle caught fire before the flames spread to two neighbouring cars,” the spokesman said. “The 60 vehicles in the garage are probably out of service.”
Residents relocated
A psychosocial emergency team was called in to support the evacuated people. The Prefect of Gruyère and the mayor of Bulle decided to rehouse the residents in hotels in the region, or with acquaintances.
Rue de Vevey will be closed for an indefinite period. The ongoing investigation will determine the exact causes of the fire.
