Prosecutors to investigate parents after children forced to jump to safety during fire [Video]

The parents of the two children who miraculously escaped a fire Tuesday in Grenoble by jumping into the arms of adults below their building will be heard in an investigation for "neglect," the Grenoble public prosecutor's office said Wednesday.

Two children being dropped to the ground to escape a fire in an apartment building in the French city of Grenoble. © Captura de vídeo

The parents of the two children, aged three and ten, are to be heard "soon" by investigators of Grenoble  juvenile brigade, said public prosecutor Éric Vaillant.

Two children aged three and ten, jumped from a window into the arms of onlookers after a fire engulfed their flat in Grenoble France. pic.twitter.com/60ipSrUS9L

— Sultan Mohamed (@SultanMHaji) July 22, 2020

"The mother left around 11:00 am to go shopping and the father left for work around 11:30 am. The mother was supposed to return before the husband's departure but was a little late. So the children were not supposed to be left alone," added Mr. Vaillant.

On Tuesday, a fire in their apartment on the 3rd floor of a building in Grenoble forced the two children to flee through the balcony by jumping a dozen meters into the arms of several residents gathered to receive them.

A video of the scene, filmed from another building in the residence and broadcast by the regional daily Le Dauphiné Libéré, shows their impressive fall from the third floor of the building, the first level of which, raised by pillars, already dominates the ground by several metres.

While thick black smoke comes out of the windows of the apartment and the inhabitants are shouting in terror, the oldest child is seen first hanging the youngest child in the void, holding him by his clothes, before letting him go.

At the foot of the facade, witnesses pick him up by bending under his weight and soon afterwards the other child jumps into their arms.

Both children were taken to hospital and are "under observation, but their prognosis was not life-threatening. They should get out of the hospital quickly," said Éric Vaillant.

Samples were taken by the forensic police to determine the origin of the fire, which "would be in the living room.

In total, fourteen people were intoxicated by the smoke fumes and two firefighters were slightly injured