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

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.