Fire and explosions on rue des Couronnes in Paris: man held in custody
An apartment in Paris's 20th arrondissement was destroyed by fire on Tuesday evening, with fireworks mortars and nitrous oxide canisters found at the scene. Around a hundred residents evacuated, one man detained.
Panic in Belleville: explosions and fire in a 20th arrondissement building
Towards 11 p.m. on the night of Tuesday 1 September, sounds of detonations followed by a violent fire caused panic in the Belleville district in Paris. Emergency services were alerted immediately and deployed in large numbers to the scene.
According to a police source, the fire broke out in an apartment on the twelfth and final floor of the building located at 84, rue des Couronnes, in the 20th arrondissement. The flat was occupied by a mother and her two sons. In total, 23 vehicles and 90 firefighters were mobilised to bring the flames under control, which was accomplished by 1.30 a.m. Around a hundred residents had to be evacuated in the interim.
According to the same police source, the detonations came from fireworks mortars stored in the bedroom of one of the sons. The Paris public prosecutor's office, contacted by TF1 Info, specifies that nitrous oxide canisters were also found in this room. One of the sons was detained and placed in custody.
Three people, including the mother residing in the damaged apartment, were slightly intoxicated by fumes and transported to hospital. Fourteen families whose flats were flooded during the intervention were rehoused by the social housing provider Paris Habitat. At 2.50 a.m., other evacuated residents had been able to return home, with the exception of the occupants of the three top floors.
During the night, technicians from the central laboratory of the Paris police prefecture had not yet determined the precise cause of the incident. The accidental hypothesis was nevertheless favoured.
The Paris public prosecutor's office indicates that a flagrant-offence investigation was opened under the charge of "involuntary destruction of another's property by explosion or fire owing to failure to observe a safety or prudence obligation". Investigations are continuing in order to establish the exact cause of the fire.
Source: TF1 Info