A major fire has destroyed Marché des Enfants Rouges, Paris’s oldest surviving covered food market, devastating a historic landmark that had served residents and visitors for more than four centuries.
The fire broke out shortly after 3 a.m. on Monday in the Marais district of central Paris. Ariel Weil, the mayor of Paris Centre, said the blaze had been brought under control and had not spread to neighboring buildings, although the market itself was completely destroyed.
More than 150 firefighters and 50 fire engines responded to the emergency, according to the Paris fire service. Lieutenant Colonel Pierre de Bouvier said much of the market’s metal structure had collapsed and most of its stalls had been destroyed. The cause of the fire remained unknown.
Founded in 1615 during the reign of King Louis XIII, the market takes its name from a nearby orphanage whose children wore red clothing. The institution, known as the Hospice des Enfants Rouges, was established in 1536.
The market was designated a historic monument in 1982 and later faced demolition under redevelopment plans that would have replaced it with an underground car park and public facilities. A campaign by local residents, neighborhood associations, writers and artists helped secure the abandonment of those plans in the 1990s.
The city subsequently undertook a major restoration project, preserving the market’s historic wooden and iron framework and glass roof. It reopened in 2000 as a food market and dining destination, combining traditional vendors with stalls serving French, Lebanese, Moroccan, Japanese and other cuisines.
The 1,000-square-meter venue became a popular destination for Parisians and international visitors.
The destruction marks a major loss for the city’s architectural heritage and culinary culture. Although the fire was prevented from spreading to surrounding buildings, the historic market that had survived earlier demolition plans has now been lost to the blaze.
Authorities have yet to establish what caused the fire.
Hossein Amiri - H.Hakimzadeh
