FILE PHOTO: Dark clouds are seen over the remnants of a holiday home in eastern France near Colmar where disabled people were killed as fire broke out during their summer holidays in Wintzenheim, France, August 9, 2023. REUTERS/Tilman Blasshofer/File Photo
PARIS (Reuters) - 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 Le Monde newspaper on Thursday.
The blaze broke out around 6.30 a.m. (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 still ongoing.
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.
(Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
