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Marché des Enfants Rouges, the oldest covered food market in Paris, was engulfed in flames in the early hours of Monday, Oct. 12, destroying vendor stalls and a piece of local history.
The fire broke out around 3 a.m. Monday, with firefighters working for several hours to quell the flames, Reuters reported.
The fire left the market in ruins, with about 20 merchants losing their stalls, according to Ariel Weil, the mayor of central Paris.
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“Fire brought under control but market totally devastated. Avoid the area around Rue de Bretagne,” Weil said in a post on X on Monday morning.
“9 hoses, including 2 high-powered ones, were required to bring the disaster under control,” Brigade des Sapeurs-Pompiers de Paris (BSPP), the city’s primary fire and rescue service, said in a post on X.
Marché des Enfants Rouges in Paris was destroyed by a fire early Monday. (NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“150 firefighters were mobilized tonight,” Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire posted on X. “I want to express my full gratitude to them.”
He added that an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire.
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“We will find temporary locations for the businesses so that all their activities can be maintained,” the post said.
Located in the Marais district of Paris in the city’s 3rd arrondissement, the market was founded in 1615 during the reign of King Louis XIII.
The mayor of Paris said 150 firefighters responded to the food market fire. (Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)
A popular destination for both tourists and locals, the market drew people from all over the world, according to the website for the city of Paris.
The name translates directly to “Market of the Red Children,” a moniker that came from a nearby orphanage, the Hospice des Enfants Rouges, where the children usually wore red, according to the city’s website.
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Designated a historic monument in 1982, the market was threatened with demolition in the 1990s when Mayor Jacques Chirac signed off on plans to replace it with a parking lot, a daycare facility and a community center, the Guardian reported.
The cause of the fire is not yet known. (NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Before its destruction, the market housed restaurants where people could sit down for a meal or a cocktail.
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A wide range of cuisines were offered, including Moroccan, Creole, Afro-Caribbean and Lebanese, as well as French and Italian, among others.
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Although the market was not always food-oriented, it shifted in the early 2000s to center around culinary vendors, including butchers, cheesemakers, fishmongers and a variety of street food stalls, according to the city’s website.