Fire destroys Paris's oldest food market

A fire has destroyed the Marché des Enfants Rouges, the oldest covered food market in Paris, in the early hours of Monday, October 12, 2026.

Paris Centre mayor Ariel Weil confirmed the blaze had left the 400-year-old Marais market "totally destroyed", with firefighters bringing the scene under control by Monday morning local time.

The fire broke out overnight in the market, located in the French capital's third arrondissement, with firefighters tackling the blaze from around three in the morning.

"Nothing remains of the covered market," Lieutenant Colonel Pierre de Bouvier, a Paris fire brigade spokesman, told reporters at the scene, according to AFP.

Pierre added that the building's metal structure had "partially collapsed" inside.

One firefighter was lightly injured in the blaze. No one else was hurt, and the fire did not spread to neighbouring buildings.

"The worst has been avoided," Ariel told AFP. "No neighbouring buildings have been affected."

The cause of the fire is not yet known and remains under investigation.

A market trading since 1615

The Marché Couvert des Enfants Rouges has traded on the same Marais site since 1615, making it the oldest covered food market in Paris. It takes its name from a nearby orphanage, whose children wore red uniforms until 1772.

Its stalls built a reputation well beyond France. Regular vendors include a Moroccan stall serving couscous and tagines, Japanese specialist Chez Taeko with its bento boxes and sushi, a Lebanese stall, cheese counters sourcing from across the country, and Chez Alain Miam Miam, known for its oversized sandwiches stuffed with melted cheese and cured meats.

Food & Wine ranked the market fifth in the world for street food this year, behind entries from London, Bangkok, the French city of Lyon and Mexico City, cementing its reputation as a regular stop for chefs and food lovers visiting Paris from the UK and further afield.

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Not the first blow to a major Paris food market

The fire is the latest to hit a landmark Paris food institution. In September 2022, a fire destroyed a fruit and vegetable warehouse at the Rungis International Market, the world's largest wholesale food market, on the southern outskirts of the city.

No one was injured in that fire, which gutted a warehouse belonging to the Les Halles Mandar group. Rungis market president Stephane Layani said at the time that the damage had been felt "at the heart" of the whole market.

The two fires, four years apart, have hit opposite ends of the Paris food trade. Rungis supplies restaurants and retailers across the region, while the Marché des Enfants Rouges is a destination in its own right for the public, tourists and chefs alike.