A fire broke out on Sunday evening in a disused building at Place de la Brigue, in Nice. The fire, which started in a squat, is disrupting rail traffic between Menton and Nice. For now, no casualties have been reported.
Sunday, September 7, in the early evening, a thick black smoke rose in the sky of Nice. It originated from a fire at Place de la Brigue, in the Saint-Roch district, not far from Route de Turin. The firefighters confirmed it was a widespread residential fire, in a municipal building that had been unoccupied for several years and possibly squatted.
The building on fire, with an area of about 500 m², is near SNCF railway tracks. Train traffic between Menton and Nice has been affected. Since 8 p.m., several delays are expected at various Nice stations.
The firefighters are urging residents and drivers to avoid the area and allow emergency services to pass. A deployment of five vehicles and nearly twenty firefighters is in operation.
An old municipal building affected
Authorities are still uncertain if people were inside when the fire started. Search operations are ongoing, but thick smoke is complicating team progress. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
On social media, the city’s mayor thanked the efforts of the SDIS06 and the police forces who have been on site for nearly an hour to bring the fire under control.
On site, Deputy Mayor Anthony Borré confirmed that the fire is now under control.
An investigation is expected to be opened to determine the cause of the fire.
