Arson suspected in fire that killed 7 in France

An apartment building blaze early Thursday killed seven people in the southern French city of Nice and police were investigating the fire as a possible arson, authorities said.

The dead include three children — 5, 7 and 10 years old — and a 17-year-old who tried to escape by jumping from a window, they added.

The apartment was occupied by a family believed to have Comoran origins, the regional prefect Hugues Moutouh said, referring to the southern African island nation.

Ten people were inside when the fire broke out.

Rescuers were alerted at around 2:30 am (0030 GMT) to the blaze on the seventh floor of the building in the low-income neighbourhood of Les Moulins, known for being a drug-dealing hub, in the west of the city.

In spite of the substantial resources deployed, “unfortunately seven people died during this fire”, firefighters said.

Neighbours hurriedly dragged mattresses in front of the building to break the fall of those jumping out of windows.

Four police were in psychological care after witnessing the scene.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on social media that the quick arrival of firefighters “probably prevented more deaths”.

Darmanin and Prime Minister Gabriel Attal were expected at the scene later Thursday.

‘Serious, barbaric’

Nice prosecutor Damien Martinelli said investigators were looking into a “criminal” cause for the fire.

“In light of the initial evidence, I have opened an investigation into acts of arson leading to death,” he told reporters at the scene.

He gave no details, but Nice Deputy Mayor Anthony Borre said that surveillance footage showed three men wearing balaclavas in the vicinity.

“These actions are serious, they are barbaric,” he said, adding that he expected “a strong response” by the authorities once the investigation was over.

President Emmanuel Macron said he shared Nice’s “emotion” following the fire, posting on social media that his thoughts were “with the loved ones of those who died”.

The blaze probably started on the building’s second floor and spread through the staircase to higher floors, authorities said.

Rescuers said that three people were taken to hospital, one of them with life-threatening injuries after jumping from a window.

They said firefighters were confronted by a “raging apartment fire” on the seventh floor of the building. They carried out three aerial ladder rescues and evacuated dozens.

“There were flames in the staircase and smoke was entering under the door,” said Soibrata, a resident on the building’s fifth floor.

“I woke the children up, and called the firefighters who told us to put wet towels under the doors and go on the balcony” where they were rescued, she said.

Soibrata, who did not give her last name, and others in the building told AFP that the wait for firefighters had been much longer than the “10 minutes” Martinelli said it took for them to arrive.

Neighbours sprayed water on parasols and furniture on adjacent balconies to prevent falling burning debris from setting the rest of the building on fire, they said.

Twenty people were evacuated to a temporary shelter, with Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi saying a crisis unit would be set up to help anyone affected by the fire.