Nine bodies have been found and two more people are feared dead after a fire at a holiday home hosting people with learning disabilities in France.

Nearly 80 firefighters were sent to the blaze in La Forge after emergency services were alerted at 06:30 local time (04:30 GMT) on Wednesday.

The missing people are considered “potentially deceased”, according to a local official.

The fire has now been extinguished, but its cause is not yet clear.

Seventeen people were evacuated from the building, while at least one person has been taken to hospital.

A search for the bodies of the two remaining missing people is under way, the head of the rescue operation told reporters.

Philippe Hauwiller said the search was being hampered by the difficulty in gaining access to the upper floors of the building.

“There’s a huge amount of rubble, many collapsed sections and a floor which was not stable,” he said.

The fire broke out near Wintzenheim, close to the German border and about 70km (50 miles) south of the city of Strasbourg.

In an update at midday local time, the local government for the Haut-Rhin region said the building was being used by two groups of adults from two separate charities helping people with disabilities.

In an earlier statement, it said one group was from Nancy, also in eastern France.

Four fire engines and 76 firefighters were sent to tackle the blaze. It was quickly brought under control, despite the strength of the fire, the statement added.

Drones have been used to survey the wreckage of the burned-out building, while dogs have also been used as part of the search effort.

The head of the Bas-Rhin prefecture said all 11 people initially reported missing in the fire were now considered “potentially deceased”, AFP reports.

Christophe Marot said those on the ground floor were able to quickly leave the building, but people upstairs could not.

French President Emmanuel Macron said his thoughts were with the victims and their families and thanked the emergency services for responding to the “tragedy”.

French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne and Families Minister Aurore Bergé said they would travel to Wintzenheim.

In an earlier post on social media, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin praised the bravery of firefighters who responded and warned casualties were likely, despite the fast work of the emergency services.

Photographs published in local media showed the partially wooden building in La Forge almost entirely ablaze early on Wednesday morning.

The building is an old barn converted into a three-storey holiday home. Firefighters said two-thirds of it was on fire before they managed to bring it under control. (BBC)

Update news