Adieu aux ‘Enfants Rouges’: Tears and shock as fire destroys Paris’s oldest covered food market

New Yorkers Lorrie and Ricky so enjoyed discovering the Marché des Enfants Rouges (Red children’s market) a few days ago, that they decided to pay another visit to its celebrated food stalls before leaving the French capital.

But when they approached the centuries-old venue on Monday morning, they were greeted by police cordons, fire trucks and a foul, acrid smell hanging over this picturesque neighbourhood in central Paris.

“It was such a lovely place, so charming – and now it’s gone,” said Ricky, gazing at the blackened entrance to the Enfants Rouges. “It’s tragic.”

Read moreFire destroys Paris's oldest covered food market

A spectacular blaze tore through the iconic covered market overnight, gutting its iron and glass roof and torching all 17 food stalls. Video footage on social media showed huge flames and billowing smoke rising above the venue, hemmed in between buildings on the northern edge of the Marais district popular with tourists.

After touring the site, Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said the market had been “completely destroyed”. He thanked firefighters who battled the blaze for over two hours – for ensuring that it did not spread to surrounding buildings in the densely populated area known for its cozy cafes and stylish boutiques.

There were no casualties aside from a firefighter who suffered “minor injuries”, Grégoire told reporters. It was the only consolation for shopkeepers huddled together on a sidewalk – many in tears as they listened to accounts of the devastation wrought by the flames.

Fire ravages oldest covered food market in Paris

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“We’re all a big family, and now we’ve been orphaned,” said Ahmed Ouaddi, whose Moroccan couscous stall had been a fixture of the market for decades. “Our livelihoods have gone up in smoke.”

‘Heart and soul’ of the neighbourhood

Founded in 1615 during the reign of Louis XIII, the Enfants Rouges was the oldest covered market still in operation in Paris. It owed its name to a nearby 16th-century orphanage whose young residents wore red clothing, a symbol of Christian charity at the time.

A buzzing hub for locals and tourists alike, the market offered fresh produce and specialties from around the world. The industry magazine Food & Wine ranked it fifth worldwide for street food this year, after other eating spots in London, Bangkok, Mexico City and France’s culinary capital – Lyon.

To those nostalgic for the Paris of old, it provided a small taste of what the historic Les Halles, the city’s sprawling central market, was like before it was gutted and turned into a giant mall in the 1970s.

In recent years, the Enfants Rouges had become too touristy – and pricey – for many Parisians, in step with the area’s rapid gentrification. But it remained “the heart and soul” of the neighbourhood, said Ouaddi.

“It was the oldest and prettiest market in Paris. We all loved it and we’re all in shock today,” said local pharmacist Virginie Prulhière, still shaken from the blaze, her voice breaking as she gazed at the fire truck parked where her partner’s stall would normally be standing.

“It was also a symbol of resistance, because people here fought to preserve it,” she added, referring to a grassroots campaign in the 1990s against plans to tear down the market and replace it with an underground carpark and housing units.

‘The Enfants rouges will survive’

Residents looked on in disbelief Monday morning as firefighters accompanied the Paris mayor and other officials to inspect the smouldering ruins. Some asked why it had not been possible to save at least part of the structure, noting that the nearest fire station is located just minutes away.

Local authorities said the fire broke out at 3am (01:00 GMT) but the fire brigade did not receive a call until over an hour later. More than 150 firefighters and dozens of vehicles were mobilised to battle the blaze. Their efforts were hampered by the layout of the market, surrounded by buildings on all sides and accessible only through alleyways too narrow for most vehicles.

The cause of the blaze is not yet known.

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“Luckily, no one was hurt, and that’s the most important thing,” said Alexis Abbou, the market’s manager, striving to remain upbeat as he sought to console its shopkeepers and caterers. “We’ll start all over again and rebuild this wonderful place,” he added.

Paris Mayor Grégoire promised to find a temporary relocation for the traders “so they can resume their business as soon as possible”. In a post on X, Serge Papin, the minister for small businesses and tourism, said the French state would “stand alongside Paris City Hall to help with reconstruction”.

Ariel Weil, mayor of the third arrondissement (district) that housed the market, also recalled the fight to save the market in the 1990s, as he vowed to restore it to its former glory.

“The Enfants Rouges survived a threat to replace it with a carpark,” he said. “It will survive this fire, too.”