Overview

• In footage from July 4, 39-year-old school caretaker Fousseynou Cissé braced himself across a narrow gap to pass four infants and two adults from a sixth-floor flat engulfed in smoke to safety.
• Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said he will award Cissé a medal “in recognition of his courage and dedication,” signaling formal acknowledgment of the improvised lifesaving act.
• The French interior ministry has endorsed the decoration, and Senator Rémi Féraud praised Cissé’s actions as deserving the admiration and recognition of Paris.
• Ten residents were hospitalized for smoke inhalation after the fire began on a lower floor, with survivors including mother Naomi still receiving treatment for respiratory injuries.
• As a holder of a residence permit but not French citizenship, Cissé hopes the official honors will help secure him a permanent position with the Paris town hall.