A devastating fire in the French city of Reims has left four people dead and over two dozen injured, with investigators pointing to an electric scooter battery as the likely cause.
The blaze erupted overnight on Friday, June 6, in a ten-story apartment building in Reims, the capital of France’s Champagne region. Prosecutor François Schneider stated the fire originated from a battery-powered electric scooter.
In the fourth-floor apartment where the fire began, a 13-year-old boy died after jumping from a window. Firefighters later found a charred body inside, believed to be his 15-year-old brother.
Two other residents, an 87-year-old woman and her 59-year-old son, were located on the eighth floor and died from smoke inhalation.
The boys’ stepfather sustained serious burns, and 26 others were treated in hospital for minor injuries and smoke exposure.
The prosecutor stressed that “there is no doubt the fire was accidental,” although the exact reason for the scooter’s ignition remains unclear. Schneider explained that battery fires are especially difficult to control, and firefighters took over three hours to contain the blaze.
The incident comes amid growing safety concerns across Europe, where governments are increasingly tightening regulations on electric scooters in response to their rising use and the increasing number of accidents.
