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Two dead in fire at French ski resort popular with Royal Family

Two people were killed and 22 injured in a large fire on Sunday at the Courchevel ski resort in the French Alps, which is popular with Britons including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

The blaze broke out before dawn in a three-storey block used to accommodate young resort workers. It spread to two nearby buildings “extremely rapidly, forcing people to jump out of windows to save their lives,” said Frédéric Loiseau, a local government official.

About 70 firefighters battled the fire for four hours before bringing it under control. Four of the injured were described as being in “serious” condition, and the others have minor injuries.

The identities of the dead are still to be confirmed, Mr Loiseau said. About 60 workers were staying at the hostel, including foreigners. A local resident contacted by telephone said many of them were believed to be Brazilian. Britons are often employed as temporary workers at the resort during the skiing season.

Fire erupts from building at Courchevel ski resort - Credit:  REUTERS
Fire erupts from building at Courchevel ski resort Credit: REUTERS

Three of the four seriously injured people were airlifted to hospital by helicopter.

The cause of the blaze is unknown, but Mr Loiseau said: “It can be assumed that the fire started because of negligence.” He said local prosecutors would order a police investigation.

The blaze began on the top floor of the building, which has a Chanel store on the ground floor. It prompted criticism on social media that seasonal workers are often given poor quality accommodation.

Firefighters stand in front of a building destroyed by a major fire which killed two people and injured 22 more
Firefighters stand in front of a building destroyed by a major fire which killed two people and injured 22 more

Horrifying video posted on social media shows at least one person jumping from a window.

“In the case of those seriously injured, it’s impossible to specify whether their injuries came from a fall,” Mr Loiseau told the French TV news channel BFM. “There were carbon monoxide emissions, and there were burns.”

A man named as Adrien told France Info radio: “I live just opposite. I was the first one on the scene. We picked up two people who had jumped from the third floor, and then we lined up underneath for four or five other people to try to break their fall. Everything hurts.”

Courchevel, which has 11 five-star hotels and is France’s only ski resort with hotels that have the 6-star “palace” rating, is sometimes called the “Saint-Tropez of winter sports”. It attracts celebrities, royals and the super-rich. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and members of the Saudi royal family have holidayed there.

Adrien, echoing the criticism on social media, said: “We are the world’s richest [ski] resort but our seasonal workers are accommodated in catastrophic places.”

Christophe Castaner, France’s interior minister, tweeted his condolences to the victims’ loved ones and paid tribute to the firefighters.