The 2005 conflagration of the Forum is a fire which took place in the neighborhood of

Planoise Planoise () is an urban area in the western part of Besançon, France, built in the 1960s between the hill of Planoise and the district of Hauts-de-Chazal. It is the most populous district of Besançon, with 21,000 inhabitants (17% of the tota ...

, in Besançon ( Doubs, France). The fire killed the building's concierge and seriously wounded two Chinese student residents.

Chronology

November 2005 saw the outbreak of civil unrest in France, specifically in the suburbs of large cities. In

Franche-Comté Franche-Comté (, ; ; Frainc-Comtou: ''Fraintche-Comtè''; frp, Franche-Comtât; also german: Freigrafschaft; es, Franco Condado; all ) is a cultural and historical region of eastern France. It is composed of the modern departments of Doubs, ...

, severe rioting affected urban areas of Montbéliard province including Besançon, and the neighborhoods of

, Montrapon-Fontaine-Écu and

Clairs-Soleils Clairs-Soleils is a small area on Besançon's east side, near the quarters of Bregille and Orchamps. The quarter has about 3000 inhabitants. History Like Planoise, Clairs-Soleils was built in response Besançon's rapid population growth. Since ...

specifically. Planoise witnessed a particularly serious event, with the torching on the night of November 2 of three cars in the basement of the "Forum", a university hall of residence for foreign students. Thick smoke soon filled the building;

Salah Gaham The 2005 French riots (french: Émeutes de 2005 dans les Banlieues Françaises), was a three-week period of riots in the suburbs of Paris and other French cities, in October and November 2005. These riots involved youth in violent attacks, and t ...

, concierge of a neighbouring building, attempted to evacuate the building and to fight the fire with an extinguisher, but collapsed after several minutes from the effects of smoke inhalation. Firefighters attempted to revive Gaham, but he died on 3 November 2005 at age 34. He was the first fatality of the 2005 civil unrest in France. The fire also caused to serious injuries: a Taiwanese female student was hospitalized with serious burns, and another student sustained injury jumping from a third-floor window. Others were hospitalized for minor injuries and many residents suffered psychology distress. A city square in Besançon was later named in Gaham's honour.

References

{{Planoise Planoise

History of Besançon Planoise Forum fire Planoise Forum fire Planoise Forum fire Planoise Forum fire