Latest news with #FrançoisSchneider
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Two boys among four dead after 'e-scooter fire' tore through 10-storey housing block in France: Twenty-nine hurt
Two boys are among four people who have died after a fire believed to have been started by an electric scooter tore through a 10-storey housing block in France. The blaze in Reims, 80 miles north-east of Paris, was so fierce that dozens of firefighters took several hours to get it under control. Around 29 people are believed to have been injured in the inferno. A 13-year-old jumped to his death from the 4th-floor apartment where the fire started in the early hours of Friday. A burned body found inside is believed to be that of his older brother, aged 15, said Reims public prosecutor François Schneider. An 87-year-old woman and her 59-year-old son who lived on the 8th floor suffocated to death in the smoke, he added. Two people were seriously injured, including the dead boys' stepfather who was badly burned, and 26 others were treated in hospital for lighter injuries. Schneider said there is 'no doubt' that the blaze was accidental, spreading quickly from the scooter that caught fire for reasons unknown. He said the first responders described the fire as a 'scene of war' as people were fleeing in disarray. Battery fires 'are extremely difficult to extinguish' and the prosecutor confirmed that 62 firefighters battled the blaze for more than three hours. A resident of the block, named Faïza, told a local radio station her family had narrowly escaped after hearing screams and seeing smoke. She said: 'The flames took over the building so quickly, we didn't have time. We went downstairs and went straight out with the children.' Faïza said she was friends with the mother of the teenagers who died and said that the mother was abroad in French Guiana with her youngest child. She said she had witnessed the body of the boy who jumped from the building. 'His feet were broken. He was burned,' she said. 'His eyes were closed. I could see that he no longer felt the pain. You could see that he was no longer there. He wasn't moving, he wasn't speaking, his eyes were closed.' Lithium batteries can cause fires if they overheat, become damaged or are improperly manufactured. Since January, electric scooters have caused at least 50 fires across France, The Telegraph reported. Earlier this year in the UK, a family's home was destroyed and their pet dog was killed in a fire started by one of the vehicles. Mother Bernadette, 36, her 16-year-old daughter Lashana, and son Tyrone, 20, were luckily not at home and are currently living with a friend. The terrifying blaze happened at 10.30am when the battery of a 'top of the range' £1,500 e-scooter exploded while it was charging underneath the stairs. Flames tore through the three-bed house in West Hampstead, northwest London, on Monday to completely gut the property and turn the family of three's belongings into ashes. Their pet dog of eight years Tuffy is believed to have died immediately when the Rottweiler-Labrador cross-breed became overcome with fumes.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Four die in apartment block e-scooter fire
Credit: X/@LevyGuillaume, @nexta_tv Four people have died in a fire started by an electric scooter in an apartment block in France. Authorities described the fire that tore through the 10-storey housing block in Reims, 80 miles north-east of Paris, as 'extremely violent' and akin to a 'scene of war'. The blaze was so fierce that it took dozens of firefighters several hours to bring under control. The victims were two teenage boys who lived with their family in the fourth-floor flat where the scooter was being stored, and an elderly woman and her son who lived on the top floor. The fire broke out shortly after midnight on Friday morning. The cause is believed to be an electric scooter that was being stored between a freezer and a washing machine. One of the residents of the flat was a 13-year-old boy, who died when he jumped from the window to escape the fire. The charred remains of his 15-year-old brother were found in the flat. The boys' stepfather survived but suffered serious burns. On the top floor, an 87-year-old woman and her 59-year-old son died from smoke inhalation. 'The first responders described a scene of war, literally, as the building's residents were fleeing the scene in disarray,' said François Schneider, the Reims public prosecutor, on Saturday. Lithium batteries that power e-scooters can catch fire if they have been improperly manufactured, overheat or are damaged. It took 62 firefighters more than three hours to extinguish the blaze, said Mr Schneider. 'Fires caused by this type of battery…are extremely difficult to extinguish, since the cells tend to self-sustain when they burn, which explains the violence and speed with which the fire spreads,' he added. One resident of the block, named only as Faïza, told a local radio station she and her family narrowly escaped after hearing screams and seeing smoke everywhere. She said they had to leave everything behind as they fled. 'The flames took over the building so quickly, we didn't have time. We went downstairs and went straight out with the children,' she said. Faiza said she was friends with the mother of the two boys who died, who was away on a visit to French Guiana with her newborn baby girl. She added that she had seen the body of the boy who jumped lying on the ground. 'His feet were broken. He was burned,' she said. 'His eyes were closed. I could see that he no longer felt the pain. You could see that he was no longer there. He wasn't moving, he wasn't speaking, his eyes were closed.' Since January, battery-powered electric scooters have caused at least 50 fires across France. The number of related fires has increased sixfold in France between 2017-2024, according to French insurer Maif. Fire safety experts remind users to follow manufacturer guidelines and to never overcharge devices, nor to charge them unattended while sleeping or away from home. Batteries should also be charged far from heat sources and emergency exits. Batteries showing signs of swelling, leaking, or any other defects should be replaced immediately. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
An electric scooter is blamed for a violent fire that killed 4 in northeastern France
PARIS (AP) — Four people were killed in an 'extremely violent' blaze — seemingly caused by a battery-powered electric scooter — that tore through a 10-story housing block in northeast France, authorities said Saturday. A 13-year-old jumped to his death from the 4th-floor apartment in Reims where the fire started in the early hours of Friday and a burned body found inside is believed to be that of his older brother, aged 15, said prosecutor François Schneider. An 87-year-old woman and her 59-year-old son who lived on the 8th floor suffocated to death in the smoke, he said. Two people were seriously injured, including the dead boys' stepfather who was badly burned, and 26 others were treated in hospital for lighter injuries, he said. Schneider said there is 'no doubt' that the blaze was accidental, spreading quickly from the scooter that caught fire for reasons unknown. Battery fires 'are extremely difficult to extinguish' and fire officers battled the blaze for more than three hours, the prosecutor said.
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Associated Press
An electric scooter is blamed for a violent fire that killed 4 in a French city
PARIS (AP) — Four people were killed in an 'extremely violent' blaze seemingly caused by a battery-powered electric scooter that tore through a 10-story housing block in Reims, the capital of France's Champagne region, authorities said Saturday. A 13-year-old jumped to his death from the 4th-floor apartment where the fire started in the early hours of Friday and a burned body found inside is believed to be that of his older brother, aged 15, said Reims prosecutor François Schneider. An 87-year-old woman and her 59-year-old son who lived on the 8th floor suffocated to death in the smoke, he said. Two people were seriously injured, including the dead boys' stepfather who was badly burned, and 26 others were treated in hospital for lighter injuries, he said. Schneider said there is 'no doubt' that the blaze was accidental, spreading quickly from the scooter that caught fire for reasons unknown. Battery fires 'are extremely difficult to extinguish' and fire officers battled the blaze for more than three hours, the prosecutor said.
