13 die in Paris hotel fire

[Scairp]

(CNN) -- French firefighters are battling a hotel blaze in central Paris they say has killed 13 people, many of them children, and seriously injured 15 others.

The blaze at the Paris-Opera hotel in the city's ninth district on Friday morning was so bad that guests leapt from upper floor windows to escape the flames and choking smoke, officials said.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/04/14/france.fire/index.html

[rainbow4321]

1. Paris hotel fire kills at least 20: Guests leap from windows

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/041505dninthotelfire.10b67059.html

People screamed to be rescued from flames—some even jumped from windows—as a fire roared through a Paris hotel early Friday used by the government to house needy African families. At least 20 people were killed, half of them children, officials said.

More than 50 people were injured, 11 seriously. The fire was thought to have started in a first-floor breakfast room of the one-star Paris Opera hotel in the capital's 9th district, a popular tourist area, fire officials said.

Many guests were African. Paris City Hall had rented rooms in the six-story hotel to temporarily house nine people from Africa, and state services housed 65 others without means, including some seeking asylum.

The injured came from France, the United States, Portugal, Senegal, Tunisia, Ukraine and Ivory Coast, Paris police said. Vibert said a Canadian also was lightly injured. The nationalities of the dead were not given.

[truthisfreedom]

2. my heart and hopes go out to everyone involved!

God speed them all to a safe recovery, and condolences to the surviving families.

[PinkTiger]

3. 20 killed in Paris Hotel Fire

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/04/15/france.fire/index.html

A fire that swept through a central Paris hotel early Friday killed 20 people -- including 10 children -- and wounded more than 50 others.

The blaze at the one-star Paris-Opera hotel in the city's ninth district on Friday morning was so bad that guests jumped from upper floor windows to escape the flames and choking smoke, officials said.


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My comment: This is a great fear of mine. I take students to Paris every year; we are going in May. Our hotel has no fire escape, either. This could happen to us.

[Mass]

4. This is actually very rare in France

because the houses are built in stones and the fire regulations much stricter than in this country. I have lived in Paris for 20 years and something like that never happened.

[pnutchuck]

6. I've just returned to the US after living in Paris for 2 yrs

and the only fire I can remember during that time was at the Eiffel Tower and everyone got out safely. I lived very close to the Opera and my boyfriend still does. I just feel horrible for those people, as you said, it is quite rare for such a thing to happen.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

5. ALL the people at this hotel were poor African immigrants the place was a

death trap...1 stiarcase and NO fire escapes

[pnutchuck]

7. I can't believe that CNN actually reported it

but they did say that the hotel had had an inspection recently and therefore, must have had smoke alarms. Another mystery is how the fire was able to spread so quickly especially with the fire brigade so close.

I lived there for 2 yrs and can remember being concerned when I first arrived there because my building didn't have smoke detectors. At least there weren't any inside my apartment. I had a staircase within my building in addition to the elevator, but no fire escapes on the outside. However all of the buildings ARE concrete, brick, or stone.

[Mass]

8. Apparently false

It was a 1 star hotel, meaning that, even if it was not a luxuous hotel, it was safe.

All the people were not Africans, there were plenty of tourists there as well (actually there are American people injured). The Africans there were relocated by the town and they tend to put people in standard hotels. There are NO fire escape in France and generally in Europe anyway.

http://fr.news.yahoo.com/050415/290/4d4jl.html

Here is the French report for those who read French.