Fire devastates Paris’s historic Enfants-Rouges market

A fire overnight on October 11–12 destroyed the covered Enfants-Rouges market in central Paris, according to local officials and emergency services.

Ariel Weil, mayor of Paris Centre, said firefighters had contained the blaze and prevented it from spreading to neighbouring buildings. The cause was not known in the initial reports.

About 150 firefighters and 50 vehicles took part in the response, Le Monde reported. One firefighter suffered a minor episode of illness during the operation, according to accounts citing emergency services.

Paris city authorities confirmed that the fire had been extinguished. They temporarily closed the Madeleine de Scudéry garden and Square du Temple following the incident.

Founded in 1615 during the reign of Louis XIII, Enfants-Rouges is Paris’s oldest covered food market. Its name refers to children from a nearby former orphanage who wore red clothing.

The market in the third arrondissement housed food vendors and dining stalls frequented by residents and visitors. The initial reports did not establish when traders would be able to resume operating.