Overview
- The blaze erupted around 1 a.m. in a ground-floor flat of a three-storey building on rue Marius Marnata near the Port of Toulon.
- About 35 firefighters brought the fire under control around 3:40 a.m. after smoke spread to other apartments.
- A man in his thirties died after going into cardiac arrest when rescuers arrived, and two men with smoke inhalation were taken to Sainte-Anne hospital.
- Police opened an inquiry into a possible criminal origin, with Toulon detectives supported by Marseille forensic specialists.
- Six residents are being rehoused, and a police source cited a witness who saw someone open the shutter and light a flame as the prosecutor cautioned it is too soon to privilege any lead.