Fire guts French migrant camp
Nothing but ‘a heap of ashes’ is left of the camp that housed 1,500 people
Grande-Synthe — A huge fire has destroyed one of the biggest migrant camps in France housing 1,500 people, which started after a brawl involving hundreds of Afghans and Kurds, officials and police said Tuesday. The Grande-Synthe facility near the northern French port of Dunkirk was the only one in the area and provided hundreds of wooden huts for shelter, as well as cooking facilities and showers. "There is nothing left but a heap of ashes," Michel Lalande, prefect of France’s Nord region, told reporters overnight as firefighters battled the flames which were visible from several kilometres away. Firefighters said at least 10 people had been injured in the inferno, which followed an outbreak of fighting that required riot police to intervene. The scale of the destruction became clear in the morning, with only 70 out of 300 huts and a handful of communal buildings still intact. The others were smouldering embers or burned beyond repair, along with their contents. The camp, built by t...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.