At least seven people died in a fire in the 16th arrondissement of Paris and 30 were injured, including firefighters. According to first reports, fatalities are the result of arson. According to the prosecution, a woman was taken into custody.
The fire had broken out in the eight-story building early Tuesday morning. Recordings of the TV station BFMTV show how flames beat out of the windows.
Incendie à Paris: ces images of the sapeurs-pompiers témoignent de la violence of the flame pic.twitter.com/xpFIdbgooG
- BFMTV (@BFMTV) 5 February 2019The fire brigade was on site with about 200 forces, and the situation was said to have been life-threatening for the residents upon their arrival. About two dozen of them had fled to the roof in front of the fire or had come out through windows.
A resident watched as people ran out of the house in panic. "I heard a woman yelling in the street crying and calling for help," Jacqueline Ravier said. Another woman was lying motionless on the street. Everything was wrapped in smoke, it had taken amazingly long to bring the fire under control.
The burning house was evacuated, as well as several buildings in the neighborhood of Rue Erlanger in the west of the city. At least one person was seriously injured, according to a fire spokesman, the number of victims could increase even more.
The cause of the fire is still unclear. The 16th arrondissement is a wealthy neighborhood, with many museums and restaurants.