On Tuesday morning, a fire broke out in a home for the elderly in Haguenau. According to Benoit Vidon (Saverne subprefect), an 88-year old man died in his bedroom.
85 residents were evacuated. Nineteen people were shocked and were taken to the hospital.
This Tuesday morning, the fire broke out on the second floor at 9:30 AM. It included 76 apartments. Even into the afternoon, the fire was still burning. The roof was smouldering with smoke.
Firefighters perched on nacelles sprinkled the roof with smoke. Near this Abrapa-managed residence, a strong smell of smoke could also be detected.
A press release by the Bas-Rhin firefighters stated that 80 firefighters were mobilized and 33 machines were also mobilized. Commander Francois Trost of the Bas-Rhin firefighters stated that the "violent fire", quickly spread to the attic and the entire floor. The cause of the fire remains unknown at this point.
The original building dates back to 1757. It was converted into a senior residence in the early 1990s. Claude Sturni (the mayor of Haguenau), spoke out about a "human tragedy". The prefect said that solutions are being explored to relocate residents.
Pure coincidence, a fire drill took place in the same residence the day before, indicated Jean Caramazana, director general of Abrapa. This fire follows another tragedy in Strasbourg that killed four people, two children and an adult.
