Fire Rips Through Luxury Hotel at Popular French Ski Resort, Hundreds Evacuated
A hotel fire broke out at one of the French Alps' biggest and most popular ski areas, Courchevel, on Tuesday.
The fire started in the attic of the luxury hotel, Grand Alpes, around 7 pm. As of Wednesday morning, roughly 115 firefighters and local emergency services were still working to contain the blaze as it spread to other nearby wooden structures, such as Le Denali, a neighboring restaurant.
Around 200 people were evacuated from the hotel, with another group evacuating the nearby Hotel Le Lana as the fire continued, France 24 reported. Evacuated guests were placed in a nearby municipal hall overnight, wrapped in blankets. There were no serious casualties reported as of Wednesday morning. Investigators are still looking into the cause of the fire.
Despite work from firefighters, the fire had spread considerably overnight, and containment was complicated by the roof's structure. The roof of Grand Alpes is made of slate and sheet metal, and it also has a thick layer of snow on top. Accessing the fire required removing the slate and sawing through the sheet metal, after clearing the snow.
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Courchevel, which is part of Les Trois Vallées along with Val Thorens and hosted the most recent Freeride World Tour stop, is known in part for being one of the most expensive resorts in the Alps and a popular destination for celebrities like David and Victoria Beckham and Prince William and Princess Catherine.
One of the nine-apartment style rooms at Grand Alpes can run roughly £11,000 or $15,000 a night and includes butler service, a Michelin star restaurant, and amenities like a fully-equipped kitchen, wine cellars, and an optional private chef.
The Courchevel fire comes on the heels of the deadly New Year's fire at the Swiss ski area, Crans-Montana, that killed 40 people and injured more than 100. The Crans-Montana fire was caused by sparklers on champagne bottles that were carried by waitresses close to the ceiling, causing it to catch fire.