The fire occurred in the early morning of Saturday, before 6 a.m., in a pavilion on rue des Néfliers in Montreuil. A woman was seriously injured after jumping out of a first floor window to escape the flames. She was transported to the Avicenne hospital in Bobigny. Three other people, who suffered from smoke poisoning, were also hospitalized, said a spokesperson for the Paris fire brigade (BSPP), which dispatched around 40 firefighters to the scene to rescue several occupants who were still inside.
The fire occurred in a house inhabited by Roma families for several years. 90 people live on the site, according to the municipality. “After visiting experts, and taking into account the opinion of the firefighters, an extremely urgent order was issued by the city. The families were able to recover their personal effects, indicates the municipality. The mayor (Editor’s note: Patrice Bessac, PCF) decided to open a gymnasium to shelter families until Monday. »
A “crisis unit” will meet this Monday morning “to examine the follow-up to be given to this sheltering”. “The city will again call on the State to obtain emergency accommodation solutions to offer families”, further specifies the municipality.
“To put them back tomorrow on the street would be dramatic”
Samuel Le Coeur, president of the association of biffins Amelior, also went there on Saturday morning. Several victims of the fire work to collect and recycle objects, in particular on the market which is held regularly under the hall of Croix-de-Chavaux. One of them is an employee of Amelior. “These are courageous people, who have worked and lived in appalling conditions for eight years. We are worried about the future of families because the people in the hospital are heads of families who earn their living, ”he explains. He too asks the State to find a housing solution. “To put them back tomorrow on the street would be dramatic, even criminal, he fears. It is hoped that there will be no expulsion from the gymnasium without alternative accommodation. »
According to a press release from the Danton elementary school teaching team, 17 children are educated in this school located a few streets from the place of the fire. “We are more than concerned about the uncertain future of these families,” writes the team. It is therefore necessary and urgent to shelter them as quickly as possible in Montreuil, so that these children can continue to attend school and that their families can finally live in decent conditions. »
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