Eleven killed in fire at France holiday home for disabled people

Eleven people have been killed in a devastating fire that ravaged a holiday home for disabled people in France.

The blaze tore through a building in the town of Wintzenheim, burning the vacation home down to charred smithereens.

Dozens of firefighters battled raging flames as they fought to contain the fire and treat the victims.

Initially, 11 people were reported missing with 17 others evacuated, including one casualty who was sent to a hospital. At around noon Lieutenant Colonel Philippe Hauwiller, who headed the rescue operations, said nine bodies had been found with two more feared dead.

But later this afternoon, deputy prosecutor Nathalie Kielwasser confirmed “there are 11 victims,” as prime minister Elisabeth Borne and other officials visited the site of the fire.

Christophe Marot, the secretary general of the local administration, said on news broadcaster France Info that 10 people with disabilities and a carer accompanying the group were believed to be among the dead.

The holiday home was rented for the summer by two charities that take care of people with learning disabilities.

Twenty-eight people were staying there, and 17 of them managed to escape the fire, officials said.

Many of the visitors came from the city of Nancy in eastern France, a statement from the Haut-Rhin prefecture said.

Nathalie Kielwasser, deputy prosecutor for Colmar, said 11 people who were sleeping on the upper floor and in a mezzanine area of the private accommodation in the town of Wintzenheim were trapped by the fire, while five managed to escape.

Some 12 people who were staying on the ground floor were able to evacuate, she said.

Investigations are ongoing to determine the circumstances of the fire and whether the building met all the required security standards, she added.

Authorities said one of the survivors was sent to a hospital with serious injuries.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne arrived at the scene on Wednesday afternoon. She said she wanted to show the government’s support for the families of the victims and for the firefighters and rescuers on site.

Lt Col Philippe Hauwiller, who was leading the rescue work of firefighters, said the fire likely started on the home’s upper floor.

The ground floor was made of stone and the upper part of the building was built entirely of wood in the traditional style of the region, which might partly explain why the fire spread so quickly.

Wintzenheim deputy mayor Daniel Leroy said that those missing were likely to be aged between 25 to 50.

“The building was being used ... for their vacation,” a statement from the Haut-Rhin prefecture said.

Interior minister Gerald Darmanin said there were several casualties after the fire ravaged 300 square metres of the 500-square metre building.

“Despite the rapid and courageous intervention of the fire department, several casualties are reported,” he said, adding rescue operations were still ongoing.

Local deputy mayor Daniel Leroy told BFM Alsace that the sleeping quarters are “all gone,” adding: “The wooden structure collapsed there is nothing left.”

Firefighters said the blaze started on the ground floor of the building, which is a renovated barn. A total of 76 firefighters, four fire engines and four ambulances attended the scene, and 40 police officers were also mobilised.

The fire was quickly brought under control, a statement said.

The French Prime Minister Élizabeth Borne earlier said she was heading to the scene. She wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Following the terrible fire that took place in Wintzenheim last night, I am going there with @auroreberge.

“My first thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones. I salute the mobilisation of the firefighters.”

French President Emmanuel Macron wrote: “In the face of this tragedy, my thoughts are with the victims, the injured and their families. Thank you to our security forces and emergency services.”