Overview

• The blaze erupted around 6:40 p.m. Saturday at 36 route des Romains in the Koenigshoffen neighborhood, drawing 59 firefighters and about 30 vehicles.
• Firefighters found the victim, a man in his fifties who used a wheelchair, dead on the second floor, while eight others were hospitalized for smoke inhalation in non‑life‑threatening condition.
• Rescuers pulled at least one person from the roof as residents jumped from windows, and fire officers said wooden floors and a wooden staircase fueled rapid spread.
• Police placed a person in custody after initial accounts indicated a mattress was set alight with a candle, with some details still awaiting formal confirmation from the prosecutor.
• The Strasbourg prosecutor’s office has opened a judicial investigation for deliberate arson causing death, and authorities are continuing victim support and rehousing efforts as the probe proceeds.