France bar fire: Blaze kills 13 at birthday party

French President Francois Hollande voiced his sympathy for the victims’ families and said “everything would be done” to find out what caused the fire.

More than 80 firefighters battled the early Saturday blaze at the downtown bar in the city in Normandy, Rouen Mayor Yvon Robert said after the blaze was extinguished. In the immediate aftermath of the fire, theories about what started the fire swirled, with many speculating that the fire was terrorism-related.

Initial reports indicate the explosion in Rouen, Normandy, was accidental, according to the Rouen Police Department. “Candles on a birthday cake started the fire after the person who carried it tripped on the stairs leading to the basement”.

The victims are aged between 18 and 25, according to local French newspapers.

The translation of the tweet is, “Serious Fire in Rouen: Deep sadness with regard to the tragedy that mowed down 13 young lives”.

It is suggested the ceiling and walls were covered in foam padding, used to help sound-proof the room, and this material may have led to the flames spreading quickly. On July 26, knife-wielding attackers kidnapped and killed an elderly priest, Jacques Hamel and injured three others.

One of the injured was in a critical condition, Yvan Cordier, secretary general of the Seine-Maritime prefecture, told the AFP news agency. The attackers, were both nearly 19 and were also shot dead by French police as they tried to abscond the church.

The priest’s funeral was held in Rouen’s cathedral and was attended by more than 2,000 mourners shocked by the brutal killing of the elderly clergyman.