Marseille building fire kills one, injures another

A fire broke out on the fifth floor of a 20‑storey apartment block in the Valmante district of Marseille on 4 August. Marseille fire crews fought the blaze with about a hundred personnel and thirty vehicles, eventually containing it by late afternoon. One person was found dead in cardiac arrest, and a 48‑year‑old woman suffered smoke inhalation. Seventeen other residents were confined to the building while the fire was under control.

In the Bresse region of eastern France, a separate blaze destroyed a 300 m² house and its outbuildings on the night of 22 May. The couple living there escaped with two dogs and a cat; no injuries were reported. About twenty firefighters from Chalon and Mâcon worked through the night to extinguish the fire. Local officials offered temporary housing, which the couple declined. Police are investigating the cause of the fire.