Deadly hotel fire

last updated 8 January 2015

Paris

The girlfriend of a night watchman said she accidentally started the fire that killed 24 people in an overcrowded Paris hotel last week. The woman, whose name has not been released, said she had set up a romantic space for the two in a breakfast room, with lit candles placed on the floor. But the couple got into a fight, and she stormed out, leaving the lit candles on the floor. In the middle of the night, a fire began in the room, spread quickly, and engulfed the hotel. Most of the victims—10 of them children—were African immigrants seeking asylum. France has been overwhelmed by thousands of illegal immigrants, and the government often places them in hotels until their asylum hearings. At least 90 people were living in the 32-room building, which was meant to house 61.