A devastating fire has swept through Paris's oldest surviving covered food market, a beloved street food destination in the Marais district. This historical venue, which attracted both locals and tourists daily, dates back to the 17th century.
Ariel Weil, the mayor of central Paris, described the Marché des Enfants Rouges as "totally destroyed" after the fire erupted just after 3 a.m. Despite the severity of the blaze, Weil noted that surrounding buildings were spared from damage, although he acknowledged the profound sense of loss felt by the community.
Originally established in 1615 during Louis XIII's reign, the market derived its name from the adjacent Hospice des Enfants Rouges, an orphanage founded in 1536 by King Francis I and his sister Marguerite de Navarre. The orphanage's children were famously dressed in red, which inspired the market's name.
Recognized as a historic monument in 1982, the market narrowly avoided demolition when a redevelopment plan proposed by then-Mayor Jacques Chirac included an underground carpark, a daycare facility, and a community center. However, a vigorous campaign led by local residents, intellectuals, and artists, including Bertrand Tavernier and Willy Ronis, successfully halted these plans by collecting tens of thousands of signatures.
Instead of demolition, the city embarked on a six-year renovation project, costing 13 million francs (approximately €3 million or £2.5 million today), restoring the market’s historic wooden and ironwork frame and glass roof. The market reopened in 2000 as a vibrant food court.
The venue combined traditional vendors, such as greengrocers, butchers, cheesemongers, and fishmongers, with over a dozen modern street food stalls offering French, Lebanese, Moroccan, Japanese, and other cuisines. Casual seating allowed visitors to enjoy their meals amidst this eclectic mix.
Currently, the market is praised as "the coolest market in Paris" by Time Out and was ranked fifth worldwide for street food by Food&Wine, alongside other renowned food courts in cities like London, Bangkok, Lyon, and Mexico City.
Lt Col Pierre de Bouvier of the Paris fire service reported that much of the market's metal structure had collapsed, and most stalls were consumed by the fire. Over 150 firefighters and 50 fire trucks were deployed to combat the blaze, which was reported at 4:15 a.m. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Read next
German Minister Resigns Following Stepdaughter's Death and Political Criticism
Germany's Labour Minister Bärbel Bas, a co-leader of the Social Democrats (SPD), resigned from her positions, citing the loss of her stepdaughter and subsequent political attacks as her reasons. Her resignation poses a significant challenge to the already fragile coalition government.
Bas, in a Facebook statement, mentioned
Preserving 300-Year-Old Church-Bell Tradition: Lebanon's Sole Family Artisan
The story of Lebanon's sole remaining church-bell maker traces its origins to an unexpected encounter. In the 18th century, Youssef Gabriel, a local metalworker, was involved in covertly crafting and supplying rifles to Arab revolutionaries fighting against the Ottoman rule over Lebanon. One day, a Russian engineer
Nobel Prize in Economics Honors Hall and Woodford for Crisis 'Smoothing' Research
Two US economists, Robert Hall of Stanford University and Michael Woodford of Columbia University, have been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Economics for their contributions to economic modeling. Their work has provided central banks and finance ministers with tools to stabilize economies, helping to prevent prolonged recessions and uncontrolled