The parents of the two children, aged three and ten, are to be heard "soon" by investigators of Grenoble juvenile brigade, said public prosecutor Éric Vaillant.
Two children aged three and ten, jumped from a window into the arms of onlookers after a fire engulfed their flat in Grenoble France. pic.twitter.com/60ipSrUS9L
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"The mother left around 11:00 am to go shopping and the father left for work around 11:30 am. The mother was supposed to return before the husband's departure but was a little late. So the children were not supposed to be left alone," added Mr. Vaillant.
On Tuesday, a fire in their apartment on the 3rd floor of a building in Grenoble forced the two children to flee through the balcony by jumping a dozen meters into the arms of several residents gathered to receive them.
A video of the scene, filmed from another building in the residence and broadcast by the regional daily Le Dauphiné Libéré, shows their impressive fall from the third floor of the building, the first level of which, raised by pillars, already dominates the ground by several metres.
While thick black smoke comes out of the windows of the apartment and the inhabitants are shouting in terror, the oldest child is seen first hanging the youngest child in the void, holding him by his clothes, before letting him go.
At the foot of the facade, witnesses pick him up by bending under his weight and soon afterwards the other child jumps into their arms.
Both children were taken to hospital and are "under observation, but their prognosis was not life-threatening. They should get out of the hospital quickly," said Éric Vaillant.
Samples were taken by the forensic police to determine the origin of the fire, which "would be in the living room.
In total, fourteen people were intoxicated by the smoke fumes and two firefighters were slightly injured
