Fire Destroys the Marché des Enfants Rouges, Paris's Oldest Covered Market

A fire destroyed the Marché des Enfants Rouges, the oldest covered food market in Paris, overnight between Sunday, October 11, and Monday, October 12. Firefighters stopped the blaze before it reached neighboring buildings, and authorities have reported no victims.

What We Know About the Fire

The Paris police prefecture told franceinfo the fire started around 3am. The mayor and the fire brigade said the alert reached firefighters at about 4:15am, so the exact start time is being reported differently. Lieutenant Colonel Pierre de Bouvier said at the scene that the covered market had been totally destroyed and that nothing was left of it. He added that the metal structure had partly collapsed inside.

Firefighters kept the fire inside the market in one of the most densely built parts of central Paris. Ariel Weil, mayor of the Paris Centre district, wrote on X that the fire was under control but that the market was a total loss, and he praised the speed and efficiency of the firefighters. He said one firefighter felt briefly unwell and that nobody else was hurt.

What Caused the Fire

The cause has not been announced. Officials had not offered an explanation as of Monday morning. The Paris Eye will update this article when authorities share more.

A Market Dating to 1615

According to the City of Paris, the market was founded in 1615 and is the oldest covered food market in the capital. It stands at 39 rue de Bretagne in the 3rd arrondissement, in the Haut Marais, and has been listed as a historic monument since 1982. Its name, which means Market of the Red Children, comes from a nearby orphanage whose children wore red, the color of charity.

In recent years the market became one of the best known places in the Marais to eat lunch. Time Out has called it a top lunch spot, and among its best known stalls were Chez Alain Miam Miam, famous for its giant sandwiches, Taeko for Japanese bento, and Jeanphi for Levantine pitas.

What Happens Next

There has been no announcement yet on whether the market will reopen, when that could happen, or where its traders will work in the meantime. Mayor Weil said the traders are devastated. Anyone planning to visit should assume the market is closed and check with the Paris Centre town hall for updates.

Sources: franceinfo with AFP; Le Temps; Au Cœur du CHR; Orange Actualités, citing BFMTV; Time Out Paris.

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