Britons among hundreds evacuated in French ski resort hotel fire
More than 90 firefighters tackled the blaze at the MMV Aime 2000 in La Plagne, which started at around 2.45am on Wednesday, according to local media.
Bruno Charlot, the sub-prefect of Albertville, told local media that 484 people were evacuated in 15 minutes, with only four having to be taken to hospital.
He said: 'In the end, four people were slightly injured, mainly as a result of light smoke poisoning.' He added that three had already been discharged from hospital after checks.
Paul Tucker, 76, a Briton who was staying at the hotel, said: 'People were hurrying but they weren't panicking, and we were out of the hotel in five minutes.'
Jennifer Tsang, a local mother who was helping with the rescue effort, said guests fled the building in only their nightwear, leaving their belongings behind.
She said: 'They had to run to the sports centre [where evacuated holidaymakers and staff were sheltered] in their bare feet. When I arrived at about 6am, there were people just in shorts and tops, they had no coats, nothing.'
One post on social media said many guests had lost clothes and ski equipment, and that some had lost 'everything'.
The UK Government's foreign travel advice page said it was aware of the fire.
'There is an ongoing incident following a fire on April 9 in the ski resort of La Plagne, in the Alps,' it said earlier. 'If you are in the area or planning to travel to the area, follow the advice of local authorities and check your tour operator's advice.'
Dame Menna Rawlings, the British ambassador to France, expressed her thanks to the authorities 'for their rapid and efficient action, which certainly saved lives during the night'.
Guest heard 'explosion' in early hours
Crystal Ski, a tour operator, said its customers were among those forced to flee. In a statement, its parent company said: 'We would like to apologise to customers whose holiday has been impacted following a contained fire at the Hotel Club MMV Plagne 2000 this morning.
'We can confirm that all customers were safely evacuated and have been moved to a nearby location where our team is taking care of them. Guests are being provided with necessary essentials needed including refreshments, food and clothing.'
Capucine Courau, 45, from Luxembourg, said that her husband 'heard some sort of explosion at around 2.30am, or at least a loud thud' in the hotel.
Everyone who lost their accommodation because of the fire was expected to have been rehoused by Wednesday afternoon, according to the local authorities in the resort.
'We have set up a system of accommodation in the various residences of the Plagne resort, and even in other resorts,' Jean Luc Boch, the mayor of La Plagne, said.
By mid-morning, the fire, which damaged three-quarters of the building, had been brought under control but not extinguished. Smoke was still visible in the early afternoon, and firefighters remained at the site.
The blaze started on the facade of the building and spread to the roof, said police and firefighters. Around 40 fire engines were mobilised to bring the fire under control and limit its spread to the adjoining building.
The fire's origin remains unknown, and an investigation is under way to determine this,' said Captain Cosney Bertrand, of the Albertville gendarmerie.
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