Fire at French vacation home for adults with disabilities leaves 11 dead

By SYLVIE CORBET
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — Eleven people have died after a fire ripped through a vacation home for adults with disabilities in eastern France. The deputy prosecutor of Colmar said 11 people who were sleeping on the upper floor and in a mezzanine area of the private accommodation were trapped by the fire, while five managed to escape. Twelve people who were staying on the ground floor were able to evacuate. She said the adults with “slight intellectual disabilities” were on a vacation sponsored by two specialized associations. One person was sent to a hospital with serious injuries. The secretary general of the local administration said 10 vacationers and a person accompanying the group are believed to be among the dead.