‘Instant Human Ladder’ of 9 people saved from a French fire scene

Citizens help rescue by building human ladders after a fire breaks out in an apartment in France. Photo = Facebook capture

[아시아경제 황수미 기자] When a fire breaks out in an apartment in Nantes, France, a scene where citizens create a’human ladder’ to rescue their family members was unveiled.

French media BFMTV reported on footage of a fire that occurred in an apartment building in Nantes, France on the 28th (local time) of last month. A six-month-old baby and parents were trapped on the third floor of the building where the fire broke out, and as the flames continued, the parents screamed out the window and requested rescue. However, it was difficult to enter the building due to flame and smoke.

Accordingly, citizens made a human ladder on the fly. They made a human ladder while holding onto the balcony railing of the apartment in the absence of rescue means, and a woman in the building stepped on their shoulders and safely came out of the building. The baby wrapped in a bag was rescued by throwing it onto a mattress that had been laid out in advance, and the man escaped the building. The quick response of the citizens saved precious lives.

A local firefighter said nine people were rescued and moved to the hospital in the fire, and none of them were seriously injured. The rescued family members were moved to a hospital for medical examination and are recovering without any major health problems, the BBC reported on the 31st (local time).

In an interview with BFMTV, a citizen who participated in the rescue told BFMTV that “parents were on the verge of suffocating and the decision to throw the baby was the last solution we had no choice but to take.”

On the other hand, local resident Kenza Zekar explained that although he requested the fire brigade to go to the fire brigade, the situation was urgent and he had created an improvised team to rescue his family. He also told the BBC that three of the nine people involved in the rescue were immigrants, and that he would like them to be given legal residence permits and housing options.

As this story became known, an online petition was issued saying that they should recognize their legal stay and that President Emmanuel Macron should respect and recognize Botierre’s heroes.

Intern reporter Hwang Su-mi [email protected]