On Thursday, nearly 200 people gathered in the town of Vaulx-en-Velin, to pay their last respects to the victims of the fire in an apartment building, which killed 10 people on Friday.
In this commune in the Lyon suburbs, relatives and neighbors of bereaved families marched with white balloons before stopping in front of the damaged building to lay flowers and observe a minute of silence.
The fire, in which six adults and four children died, occurred at 3 a.m. in this seven-storey building, in a popular district undergoing urban renewal.
Several witnesses denounced in the media the dilapidated state of the premises, the lack of fire-fighting devices and the presence of a deal point.
Ongoing investigation
The investigation is still ongoing to determine the causes of the fire which prompted several residents to jump into the void to escape the flames.
The "Le Rhône" residence, comprising 107 apartments in three buildings, was to be renovated as part of a safeguard plan launched in 2018 for a dozen dilapidated condominiums in the district, according to information available on the town hall website.
Studies carried out in this residence had "highlighted numerous technical and financial difficulties reflecting disorders in the equipment (elevators), water and electricity networks, which could raise the question of the safety of the inhabitants, particularly in the event of a fire. ”, according to a municipal report of December 2019.
Miscellaneous facts
Fire in Vaulx-en-Velin: The prosecution opens an investigation for willful degradation
Company
Fire in Vaulx-en-Velin: No trace of flammable product detected
Miscellaneous facts
Vaulx-en-velin
Fire
white march