MONTMOREAU: A deadly fire broke out at a holiday cottage in southwestern France, killing three people, including adults with learning disabilities.
Authorities confirmed 14 individuals, aged 20 to 75, were inside the stone house when the fire started before dawn in the village of Montmoreau.
The group included eight people with disabilities and four caregivers.
Firefighters arrived within 20 minutes of being alerted but were unable to save one evacuated victim, who died from asphyxiation, said deputy prefect Jean-Charles Jobart.
Two more bodies were later found in the ruins, while two others remain missing.
Eighty-five firefighters were deployed to control the flames, which continued burning into mid-morning.
The renovated farmhouse, surrounded by trees and a sunflower field, suffered severe damage.
Jobart confirmed the cottage had passed a safety inspection two years prior and was approved to host disabled guests.
This tragedy follows another fatal fire in Wintzenheim two years ago, where 11 people died in an unlicensed facility that violated fire safety regulations.
The latest incident marks one of France’s deadliest fire disasters since 2016, when a bar blaze in Rouen claimed 14 lives. – AFP
