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Investigation launched after French vaccine centre gutted by fire

An investigation has been launched after a French vaccine centre was partially destroyed by fire.

Published: 2 June 2021 12:20 CEST
Investigation launched after French vaccine centre gutted by fire
Illustration photo: Bertrand Guay/AFP

Investigators say it is currently unclear whether the overnight blaze at the vaccine centre – the largest such centre in the Haut-Alpes département in south east France – was arson or an accident.

According to Le Parisien, at around 3:30am on Wednesday firefighters were called to the centre in the town of Gap, which was housed in the town hall.

“We don’t know if this was an accident or arson. All hypotheses are [to be] considered” said prosecutor, Florent Crouhy.

The vaccine centre has now been relocated to the town’s ice rink.

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WEATHER

IN PICTURES: French town hit by freak June hailstorm

A French town has been hit by a freak hailstorm that left locals clearing drifts of ice in the streets with shovels and snow ploughs.

Published: 29 June 2021 16:44 CEST
IN PICTURES: French town hit by freak June hailstorm
Photo: Sapeurs-pompiers des Vosges

The hail struck the town of Plombières-les-Bains in the Vosges mountains on Tuesday morning.

Romain Munier, head of communications for the local emergency services, told French media: “There were up to 60 centimetres of accumulated hail” while in the wider area, “up to 10 millimetres of water accumulated in six minutes”.

https://twitter.com/timbaland57/status/1409881345741012994

Locals were pictured clearing the street of ice with shovels and snow ploughs after the storm passed and the fire and rescue crews for the Vosges area said they had received 56 callouts in total.

Large areas of France are on weather alert for storms until Thursday, as a ‘cold drop’ passes over the country leading to extremely unsettled weather.

In most areas, however, the storms will be confined to heavy rain and thunder.

In neighbouring Switzerland, the Swiss news agency ATS reported giant hailstones up to seven centimetres wide in the canton of Lucerne.

In the canton of Fribourg, the police and fire brigade were called 300 times, including to rescue a class of 16 children and two adults caught in the hail.

Six of the children and one adult were taken to hospital.

At least five people were injured in the German-speaking Swiss cantons, including a cyclist who suffered head injuries from hailstones, according to ATS, whilst in Germany severe flooding has hit parts of the country including Stuttgart.

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