Paris, Aug 10 (IANS): Eleven people were confirmed dead following a fire at a holiday home for disabled people in Wintzenheim, northeastern France.
According to Nathalie Kielwasser, deputy prosecutor of the city of Colmar, all the people sleeping on the ground floor of the two-storey building managed to escape, and five of those who lived on the first floor also came out safe. In total, 17 people were evacuated.
She said on Wednesday that the fire was "probably" caused by a slow-burning flame and it could have taken hours before the wooden structure actually got engulfed in flames, Xinhua news agency reported.
The fire broke out at around 6:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday and was quickly brought under control.
The building was hosting a group of disabled people who were visiting from the French city of Nancy.