The Rue Erlanger fire was the deadliest fire in Paris since 2005, killing at least 10 people in an arson attack that exposed vulnerabilities in the city's building infrastructure.
Key Facts
- Date
- 5 February 2019
- Deaths
- At least 10
- Injured
- At least 36
- Location
- Rue Erlanger, 16th arrondissement, Paris
- Cause
- Arson by a former resident
- Deadliest Paris fire since
- 2005
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
A former resident of the apartment block on Rue Erlanger is suspected of deliberately setting the fire. The act of arson was quickly identified by police, who made an arrest shortly after the incident. The motive and precise circumstances of the suspect's actions were under investigation.
On 5 February 2019, a fire broke out at an apartment block on Rue Erlanger in Paris' 16th arrondissement. The blaze spread rapidly through several floors of the modern building, killing at least 10 people and injuring at least 36 others, making it the deadliest fire in the French capital since 2005.
The speed at which the fire consumed multiple floors raised serious questions about fire safety standards in modern Parisian residential buildings. Occurring less than a month after the 2019 Paris explosion, the incident drew renewed public and governmental attention to vulnerabilities in parts of the city's urban infrastructure and emergency preparedness.