Dec. 16 (UPI) — A Vaulx-en-Velin, France, apartment building fire Friday killed at least 10 people, including five children. Sixty-five fire trucks and 170 firefighters responded at 3:25 a.m. and had the fire extinguished by 6:30 a.m.
Vaulx-en-Velin Mayor Hélène Geoffroy tweeted: “Our city is in mourning after the terrible tragedy that occurred last night. I express my sincere condolences to the families of the victims.”
She said the city is fully mobilized to support families.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims of the “terrible fire in Vaulx-en-Velin.”
Darmanin’s tweet said the “provisional toll stands at 10 people dead, including 5 children.”
Vaulx-en-Velin is a Lyon suburb. Fourteen people, including two firefighters were injured. The cause of the fire isn’t yet known.
The regional prosecutor’s office is investigating and has not ruled out a criminal act as the cause of the fire.
Darmanin told reporters Friday that “traffickers,” a term used to describe drug dealers, were arrested at the apartment building several hours before the fire.
But he said it’s still too early to conclude that the fire is connected to those arrests.
