ZCZC
BFF-22
FRANCE-LEISURE-SKI-FIRE
Dozens evacuated as fire strikes French Alps hotel
LYON, March 29, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – A fierce fire broke out at a hotel in
the upscale French Alps ski resort of Megeve, forcing the evacuation of
around 180 people though no injuries were reported, officials said Friday.
The blaze was discovered on the wooden roof of the chalet-style Four
Seasons hotel at around 10:00 pm (2100 GMT) on Thursday, and 70 firefighters
worked throughout the night to bring the fire under control by Friday
morning.
Officials said the building’s fire alarms did not go off immediately, but
the estimated 60 guests and 120 staff at the site were outside the building
even before firefighters arrived.
Evacuees are being housed elsewhere during the investigation into the
cause of the blaze, which local newspaper Le Dauphine Libere said might have
been started by a chimney fire.
The five-star hotel, whose restaurant holds two Michelin stars, belongs to
the Rothschild family, which began developing Megeve in the 1920s to rival
the luxurious St. Moritz in Switzerland.
It was the second major fire to strike a French Alps ski resort this
winter, after a suspected arson attack at a residence for seasonal workers in
Courchevel in January left two people dead.
On Tuesday, sources close to that investigation said a man was arrested
this week for questioning.
The man, in his 30s, was seen by several witnesses in Courchevel when the
fire occurred and was arrested on the France-Spain border by police
investigating an unrelated case, according to a report by RTL radio.
BSS/AFP/RY/1510 hrs