Posted on 04/14/2005 8:54:26 PM PDT by ConservativeStatement
PARIS - A fire roared through a central Paris hotel early Friday, killing at least 13 people and injuring dozens more, fire officials said. Some people leapt from windows to escape the flames. The fire occurred in the capital's 9th district, an area frequented by tourists. At least 57 people were injured, including 12 seriously, said fire services spokesman Laurent Vibert.
Firefighters rescued people from the hotel in the Rue de Provence but others jumped out of windows to escape flames and choking smoke, Vibert said.
The fire took more than an hour to bring under control but was still smoldering hours later. Some 250 firefighters and 50 fire engines were on the scene.
As long as it serves as a source of amusement? I hope you never have to face a fire with a family member caught in it...or yourself. How callous of you.
Prayers from me too.
Ping
PARIS (AP) - People screamed to be rescued from flames - some even jumped from windows - as a fire roared through a Paris hotel early Friday used by the government to house needy African families. At least 20 people were killed, half of them children, officials said.
More than 50 people were injured, 11 seriously. The fire was thought to have started in a first-floor breakfast room of the one-star Paris Opera hotel in the capital's 9th district, a popular tourist area, fire officials said.
Eight hours later, rescue workers were still pulling bodies from inside of the scorched building.
Many guests were African. Paris City Hall had rented rooms in the six-story hotel to temporarily house nine people from Africa, and state services housed 65 others without means, including some seeking asylum.
The fire broke out after 2 a.m., when guests would have been sleeping. It spread quickly and caused panic, he said.
"One can imagine young children, parents without their clothes, in the middle of the night, fast asleep, smoke, cries, tears," he said.
French President Jacques Chirac labeled the fire one of Paris'"most painful catastrophes."
The injured came from France, the United States, Portugal, Senegal, Tunisia, Ukraine and Ivory Coast, Paris police said. Vibert said a Canadian also was lightly injured. The nationalities of the dead were not given.
At least one person sought refuge on the burning roof, screaming and waving frantically as flames poured from windows and fire officers scrambled up ladders. Two others yelled for help from the window of a burning room. A fire officer cradled an infant in his arms as he carried him to safety amid jets of water from fire hoses.
Fire officials said some people jumped out of windows to escape flames and choking smoke.
Chakib San, who lives in an adjacent building, said he was awakened by cries of "Fire! Fire!" He said he saw three people jump from lower stories, including a woman and a child who lay motionless after hitting the ground.
"They were on the ground. They weren't moving," he said.
"Everyone was screaming," he added. "There were bodies in the road."
The injured were treated and dead bodies temporarily stored in the Galeries Lafayette, one of Paris' busiest and most famous department stores.
Leni
Get lost newbie.
Veuillez accepter mes plus sinceres condoléances.
A few bits on info I saw on CBC. Many families living there were from Africa waiting to get assigned public housing. The fire was most likely caused by one of these families illegally cooking in their room. There was no fire escape to the roof and the only exit was down the staircase. The staircase was made of wood and assisted in accelerating the fire.
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