Three bodies were found overnight from Friday to Saturday in the rubble of a block of flats in central Clermont-Ferrand, devastated the previous day by a fire that may have been started deliberately, the public prosecutor's office told AFP.
Around 30 firefighters were still at the scene on Saturday morning searching for a possible fourth victim, a resident of the damaged building who could not be located, emergency services said, confirming reports by Ici and La Montagne.
They were being assisted by a search dog team and a specialist unit trained to search collapsed or unstable structures, they added.
Meanwhile, questioning of a 21-year-old man taken into police custody on Friday morning was continuing as part of the investigation into the cause of the fire, prosecutor Eric Serfass said in a statement.
Although the exact circumstances remain to be established, "investigators' initial findings suggest that the fire may have been started deliberately," the prosecutor's office said on Friday.
On Saturday morning, it was unable to provide details about the victims' identities.
The fire broke out at around 3am on Friday in the heart of Clermont-Ferrand, in a five-storey residential building adjoining other buildings, on a narrow cul-de-sac that made it difficult for emergency vehicles to reach the scene.
According to the city council, two flats were on fire when firefighters arrived. "The fire then spread to the roof, causing the fourth and fifth floors to collapse." The building's staircase also collapsed.
Six people were taken to hospital with minor injuries. In an initial provisional report, the prefecture said that six people had been affected by smoke and one had escaped by jumping from the window of their flat.
As a precaution, the buildings next to the damaged block were evacuated, and the affected residents – around 30 people, according to the city council – were given assistance by the municipality. An emergency medical and psychological support unit was set up.
"Clermont-Ferrand is in mourning," the city's mayor, Julien Bony, from the Les Républicains (LR) party, said in a statement, offering his condolences to the victims' loved ones. "I'm also thinking of the neighbours, local residents and shopkeepers affected by this tragedy, which touches us all. Our grief is great today," he added.
