Deadly fire engulfs Paris building, 1 arrested

A fire in an eight-story building in a wealthy Paris neighborhood killed at least 10 people and injured 30 others early Tuesday morning.

Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz later told reporters that a woman had been taken into custody, albeit cautioning that "the investigation has just begun." He said it was still too early to determine the cause of the fire, but that authorities suspected it to be a criminal act. 

The blaze engulfed the building in the central 16th arrondissement at around 1 a.m. (0000 UTC), forcing some people to nearby roofs to escape the flames and smoke.

"We had to carry out many rescues, including some people who had taken refuge on the roofs," fire service spokesman Clement Cognon told the AFP news agency.

Blaze extinguished, victims thought to be residents

Firefighters were still searching for other victims, city fire service spokesman Clement Cognon told The Associated Press. He said the fire had been extinguished before dawn but firefighters were still going door to door to ensure there were no more victims and to prevent residual fires. Emergency workers were also seeking to shore up the damaged building to prevent its collapse.

"The situation was already dramatic when the firefighters arrived," Cognon said. Firefighters rescued about two dozen people who had fled to the roof or climbed out windows to escape the flames, and evacuated others from inside the eight-story building. 

Two firefighters were among the wounded.

av, cw/amp (AFP, dpa)

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.