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10 Dead, Including 5 Children, in France Apartment Building Fire

Anna Lazarus Caplan
·1-min read
10 Dead, Including 5 Children, in France Apartment Building Fire

An early-morning apartment fire near Lyon, France has killed 10, including five children, and injured at least 14 others, according to multiple reports.

The fire started at around 3 a.m. on the ground floor of a multistory apartment building in the town of Vaulx-en-Velin, according to French authorities, per CNN.

Smoke obscured evacuation routes and forced residents to seek help by exiting outside windows via ladders, which hindered efforts to reach victims, the outlet reported.

Policemen guard a security perimeter as firefighters and rescuers work in a building of the Mas-Du-Taureau quarter where a fire caused many victims, including children, in Vaulx-en-Velin, east of Lyon, south-eastern France, on December 16, 2022.
Policemen guard a security perimeter as firefighters and rescuers work in a building of the Mas-Du-Taureau quarter where a fire caused many victims, including children, in Vaulx-en-Velin, east of Lyon, south-eastern France, on December 16, 2022.

OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE/AFP via Getty

"They tried to save as many people as possible, in very difficult conditions," Gérald Darmanin, France's interior minister told reporters. "It's obviously shocking, given the very heavy toll."

Darmanin said the children who were killed ranged in age from 3 to 15.

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Policemen guard a security perimeter as firefighters and rescuers work outside a seven-storey apartment building where five children including a three-year-old were among 10 people killed when a fire broke out in the Mas-Du-Taureau neighbourhood of Vaulx-en-Velin, in the northern outskirts of Lyon, on December 16, 2022
Policemen guard a security perimeter as firefighters and rescuers work outside a seven-storey apartment building where five children including a three-year-old were among 10 people killed when a fire broke out in the Mas-Du-Taureau neighbourhood of Vaulx-en-Velin, in the northern outskirts of Lyon, on December 16, 2022

OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE/AFP via Getty

About 170 firefighters responded to the scene, where flames had engulfed most of the building, stretching to the top three floors, according to BFMTV.

Witnesses described hearing cries from occupants inside the building.

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A firefighter vehicle is parked outside a seven-storey apartment building where five children including a three-year-old were among 10 people killed when a fire broke out in in the Mas-Du-Taureau neighbourhood of Vaulx-en-Velin, in the northern outskirts of Lyon, on December 16, 2022
A firefighter vehicle is parked outside a seven-storey apartment building where five children including a three-year-old were among 10 people killed when a fire broke out in in the Mas-Du-Taureau neighbourhood of Vaulx-en-Velin, in the northern outskirts of Lyon, on December 16, 2022

OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE/AFP via Getty

"There was a dad who was shouting 'My kids, my kids, save my kids,'" a resident named Rida told the news channel. "It's really tragic, it's a shock, my legs are shaking. We all know each other."

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The fire, now under investigation, had been extinguished by 6 a.m., according to CNN.