Early in the morning of 20th January, a major fire broke out at a French Alps ski resort, resulting in 2 people’s death and 22 have been injured. The resort was very much approved by the Britons particularly, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
A three-storey residential block had got affected which was full of seasonal workers – mostly youngsters, in the celebrity ski village Courchevel 1850, in eastern France. The fire quickly spreaded to two nearby buildings forcing the panicked occupants jumping out of windows to save their lives, said Frederic Loiseau, a local government official.
According to Mr Loiseau, an emergency call was made at around 4.30am, and after a hard work of four long hours, about 70 firemen was able to extinguish the fire fully by 8.30am.
The two dead bodies were found underneath the rubble, are yet to be identified. At least four others are very seriously injured and were flown to hospital immediately.
It is believed that many of the people living in the block are Brazilians. Some 60 resort workers, including foreigners, were evacuated from the building, in the upmarket Courchevel 1850 area, after the incident took place.
According to one eye-witness Yarik Zanuda, a Georgian working in France, posted videos of the horrific incident on social media, fearing the death of a woman who raised the alarm.
As the cause of the fire is not known, an investigation has already been launched by the public prosecutors, said Mr Loiseau.
There are four villages in the resort and Courchevel 1850 with an altitude of 1,850 metres, is among the most famous. It has 11 five-star hotels and a range of luxury shops including Chanel and Michelin-starred restaurants. It is the only ski resort in France to have hotels with the palace 6th star rating.
Sometimes referred to as the St Tropez of winter sports, the resort is for well-heeled guests and royalty, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Saudi royal family.
Hundreds of people, mostly youngsters, move to the resort every winter and are packed into wooden blocks to cater to the rich and famous.
In the year 2016, Prince William and wife Catherine visited the place taking their son George and daughter Charlotte to celebrate the children’s first Alpine holiday.
