A woman living in Paris who allegedly set a fire to “annoy” her neighbour is on trial this week after the fire spread through her apartment complex, killing ten people.
The fire broke out in 2019 in Paris’ 16th arrondissement (district) at an apartment building on the rue Erlanger, with authorities being called just after midnight on February 5th, by a neighbour living across the street.
The origin of the fire, according to investigators, began after the main suspect 44-year-old Essia B. became embroiled in an argument with another resident who complained her music was too loud, broadcaster BFMTV reports.
The neighbour, a firefighter in the Paris fire brigade, and his girlfriend were allegedly called various insults by Essia B., who proceeded to turn up her music as they left and also allegedly threatened to kill the fireman.
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Essia B. then followed the couple to their apartment where she banged on their door and harassed them, only to be later escorted home by police.
Just minutes later, the suspect is said to have placed papers and items of clothing on her neighbour’s door and lit them on fire. The fire soon spread to other parts of the building, killing ten residents who were asleep as the fire broke out.
“I stayed 20 minutes waiting for the firefighters in anguish. I heard people screaming, I saw my neighbours opposite, I also saw two people jumping into the courtyard of the 4th or 5th floor,”
a witness told police.
According to investigators, the 44-year-old, who faces 30 years in prison, has a history of setting fires and set fire to a clothing shop in 2016 in order to steal the cash register, but her case was dismissed over mental health issues.
Within a period of ten years, the 44-year-old has been admitted to psychiatric hospitals 13 times and had only been discharged from a hospital two weeks before the fatal fire. She is also known to use illegal drugs.
“I acted like a kid, without thinking about the consequences,” Essia B. told investigators and added, “I was the one who set fire to the building (…) I set fire to annoy my neighbour without thinking about the consequences it could have.”
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