French holiday home ravaged by fire did not meet safety standards - reports

PARIS - A holiday home in eastern France that was ravaged by a fire in which 11 people died early on Wednesday did not meet safety standards, a senior official told French media on Thursday.

The blaze broke out around 6.30 am (0430 GMT), as the holiday-goers with learning disabilities and accompanying staff were still asleep in the two-storey building in the town of Wintzenheim, about 70 km (50 miles) south of Strasbourg.

"The building did not meet safety standards required to welcome the public," deputy prosecutor Nathalie Kielwasser told Le Monde newspaper, adding that, in particular, it had not received the necessary visit by an independent security committee.

Investigations were ongoing, Kielwasser said, adding, in an interview with BFM TV, that it was too early to say how the fire started or whether the fact that the holiday home did not meet standards was instrumental in what happened.

The holiday home was rented for the summer by two charities that take care of people with learning disabilities, with each group occupying one floor of the house. Twenty-eight people were staying there, and 17 escaped the fire.

The owner, who has not made any public comment, was the first person to alert rescue services of the fire, French media including BFM TV have said. 

Reuters