Fire destroys Paris’s oldest covered food market

A fire destroyed the Marché des Enfants Rouges, Paris’s oldest covered food market, during the night of Sunday, October 11, into Monday, October 12. Part of its metal structure collapsed, and firefighters contained the blaze before it spread to neighbouring buildings, officials said. Lieutenant Colonel Pierre de Bouvier of the Paris Fire Brigade said the market was completely destroyed. The fire’s cause remains unknown. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said an investigation would follow. Ariel Weil, mayor of the central Paris district, said the fire was under control and neighbouring buildings were unaffected. One firefighter suffered a minor medical episode or light injury, according to reports; no deaths were reported. Accounts differed on when the fire began: one put it at about 4:15 a.m. Monday, while another said it tore through the market at about 3 a.m. The reports do not clarify whether those times refer to the same stage of the blaze. They described the fire as developing overnight, and no final cause has been reported. Traders gathered outside the market after the fire to assess the damage.