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OCCUPANTS WERE WOKEN AT 3:00 BY SMOKE COMING UP THE FIVE-STOREY RESIDENTIAL BUILDING’S MAIN STAIRCASE UPDATE 16:00 AUGUST 16: The man who was taken into custody has admitted to starting the

fire saying it happened 'by accident' when he threw a lit cigarette in the hallway. Nearby security cameras had caught him leaving the building two minutes before the fire was seen

on the cameras. A psychological exam ruled that he was legally responsible for his action. He had no prior convictions and works on the serving staff in a café next to the building. The

severely burnt victim sent to the Toulon hospital is still in a critical condition. -- A man has been taken into custody following a property fire that killed three people in Grasse in the

south of France on Sunday (August 13). Nice's judicial police has taken charge of the investigation, reports M6 and several other French media. No other information on the man's

identity or the reason for his arrest have been disclosed. The identities of the three people confirmed dead and 7 injured in the fire which broke out in the early hours have not yet been

released. People were seen screaming for help from their balconies at the five-storey building, made up of several flats, in the centre of the historic town. One person tried to escape

through his window and tragically fell to his death. The blaze broke out at around 3:00 and took three hours to contain with nearly 60 firefighters attending the scene on the ‘Place aux

Aires’. The popular tourist area has been cordoned off so investigators can progress. THREE PEOPLE SERIOUSLY INJURED Two women died in the flames in the staircase and a man was found dead in

front of the building by firefighters, police report. Of the seven injured, two of the seriously injured were sent to the Pasteur II hospital in Nice. A third, severely burnt, was taken to

the Toulon hospital via helicopter and said to be in a critical state. The other four were sent to the local hospital in Grasse with lesser injuries. Most of the damage inside the flats was

caused by smoke with the fire remaining in the main staircase, report firefighters. Nearby buildings are intact and deemed safe for residents to stay in. Five rooms were reserved in a nearby

hotel for at least 11 of the building’s 20 or so occupants. NO STRUCTURAL DEFECTS Grasse’s mayor Jérôme Viaud has said that the building had no structural defects, a comment supported by

firefighter chief Jean-Christophe Demarte, who said “there is no reason to believe there was a problem with the building.” However, several residents of Grasse were quick to point out to

France Bleu that many buildings in the historic centre were in dire need of repair. A local describes staircases propped up by makeshift struts and dilapidated electrics. This building was

scheduled to be renovated in October 2023. > « Ça fait des années que l’état des immeubles est > déplorable. »Un habitant de Grasse effondré après l’incendie > mortel 

pic.twitter.com/TULOeyhJ49 > — ici Azur (@iciazur) August 13, 2023 READ ALSO DEADLY FRENCH HOLIDAY HOME FIRE: GÎTE ‘HAD NOT PASSED SAFETY CHECKS’ WHAT RESOURCES DOES FRANCE HAVE TO FIGHT

FOREST FIRES? FRANCE WILL WIN NOTRE-DAME REBUILD CHALLENGE, SAYS GENERAL IN CHARGE