This Sunday, December 15, shortly after 6 a.m., four fires were reported in Poitiers, “including three trash fires and a fire at the entrance to the building lobby,” at a location where six burned shopping carts were found. and a scooter “partially damaged”, indicated the public prosecutor of Poitiers, Cyril Lacombe, confirming information from the daily La Nouvelle République.
Residents shouted “help”
The fire spread very quickly to the apartments on four floors. The residents were shouting “help”, according to witnesses met on site by an AFP correspondent. Nineteen residents were evacuated by the 70 firefighters mobilized on site. A 75-year-old woman was burned to the respiratory tract and evacuated in absolute emergency by Samu to the emergency room of Poitiers University Hospital, according to firefighters who also reported three children and an adult in relative emergency. In the middle of the afternoon, the woman remained hospitalized “for smoke poisoning”, according to the prosecutor.
An old deal point
The victims found refuge in a public school in the area, where several anti-drug operations took place recently. The Trois Cités district has in fact been the subject, for several months, of constant attention from the police services as part of the dismantling of drug trafficking. Twice this fall, arrests and searches took place, on October 22 and November 6.
According to several sources met on site, the bottom of the burned building served as a deal point until its dismantling last summer.
Forensic police on scene
A flagrant investigation was opened “for acts of destruction of property by means dangerous to people”, according to Cyril Lacombe, who entrusted the investigations to the services of the Poitiers police station. The scientific police have already taken samples on site.
