The fire was started around 6 a.m., from supermarket trolleys and a scooter parked at the foot of the building, in the Trois-Cités district. Two other fires were observed from trash cans pushed onto the public highway near the fire, the same source said, confirming information from the local daily “La Nouvelle République”.
19 residents evacuated
The fire spread very quickly to the apartments on four floors. Residents were shouting “help,” according to witnesses. Nineteen residents were evacuated by the 70 firefighters mobilized on site. A 75-year-old woman suffered burns to her respiratory tract and was evacuated in absolute emergency by Samu to the emergency room of Poitiers University Hospital; three children and an adult were evacuated in relative emergency, firefighters said.
The victims found refuge in a local public school. An investigation was opened for “damage by arson” and entrusted to the property crime brigade of the territorial crime division of the Poitiers police station, a source close to the investigation indicated. The scientific police took samples on site.
Belgium
