The fire broke out at 2 am on Thursday on the seventh and top floor of an apartment block in the Moulins district, located in the west of the city.
ADVERTISEMENTAt least seven people, including three children and a teenager, died from a violent fire Thursday in a block of flats in a working-class district of Nice.
The fire, suspected to have been caused intentionally, broke out at 2 am on the seventh and top floor of a building in the popular Moulins area in the west of the city.
One person was taken to hospital as an “absolute emergency” and two others as a “relative emergency,” authorities said.
The dead include three children, aged 5, 7 and 10 years old, and a 17-year-old who tried to escape by jumping from a window.
Police say they are investigating the fire as possible arson.
"Immediately, elements (on site) led me to open a criminal investigation for arson resulting in death,” said Nice public prosecutor Damien Martinelli.
According to Alpes-Maritimes prefect Hugues Moutouh, the apartment was occupied by “a family ... of Comorian origin”. At the time of the fire, “10 people (were) inside”.
During the emergency operation, firefighters rescued three people using ladders, and 33 people were evacuated from the building, according to news reports.
Authorities dispatched 25 fire engines and 72 firefighters to tackle the blaze.