After the fire in a squatted building in Caluire-et-Cuire last night, nearly 94 people were relocated to a gymnasium in the town. What happens next for these victims has not yet been decided. What is certain is that they do not have the right to return to the site.
A fire broke out on the night of December 2 to Tuesday, December 3 shortly before 1 a.m. in the former Denuzière boarding school, currently squatted and owned by the city of Lyon located at 1 Montée de la Boucle in Caluire-et-Cuire .
The body of a woman was found in the rubble in the afternoon and four people were injured, two of them in absolute emergency, after throwing themselves out of the window to escape the fire.
“The investigation has only just begun and we do not know today the reason why the fire started,” says Vincent Amoros, chief of staff to the mayor of Caluire-et-Cuire, on the BFM Lyon set.
Significant emergency resources were deployed: 139 firefighters and Samu du Rhône teams. “A Keolis bus was chartered. 47 people were taken care of by the firefighters and they were accompanied to the nearest gymnasium, the Bourdan complex,” he explains.
A future still uncertain for these 94 people
But as Vincent Amoros points out, these 47 people were joined by “a very large number of squatters who fled when the firefighters and police arrived, because they are not always in a regular situation.”
This Tuesday evening, the gymnasium welcomed 94 people. They are mainly young men, but there are also a few families and two newborn twins. “Tonight, they will actually sleep in our gymnasium,” he assures.
“We must salute the work carried out by the Red Cross and which has supported us since last night. We took care of this lunchtime meals, it is the Red Cross which is taking care of this evening’s meals. We will take care of breakfast tomorrow. We will take turns on duty. Two retired doctors also came to take care of the people,” explains the mayor’s chief of staff.
And what’s next? “The prefecture is thinking about how to take care of these people, it is their responsibility.”
Ban on returning to the premises
Vincent Amoros explains that the “first concern” of these people is to return as quickly as possible to collect their belongings, although this is not yet possible.
“The firefighters and the police are ensuring that no one can return to the scene. This is not possible today and I am not sure that it will be possible in the coming days,” he concludes.
A medical-psychological emergency unit has been activated for the victims and an investigation is underway to determine the circumstances of this fire.
