UGC: fire that killed 11 at French holiday home

A holiday home in eastern France where 11 people were killed in a fire was breaking the fire security standards required for such a property, a prosecutor said on Thursday.

The blaze, described by President Emmanuel Macron as a "tragedy", broke out in the early hours of Wednesday in the small town of Wintzenheim in eastern France.

It was the deadliest such fire disaster in the country since a blaze in a bar in the northern city of Rouen in 2016 killed 14 people.

The property was hosting a group of adults with learning disabilities and their companions at the peak of the French summer holiday season in the picturesque area. 

The fire brigade said they arrived 15 minutes after the alarm was sounded and could not save more lives as victims rapidly succumbed to the toxic smoke.