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BFF-16
FRANCE-PARIS-FIRE
Four dead in building fire in upmarket Paris neighbourhood
PARIS, Feb 5, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Four people died and another was seriously
injured in a building fire in a wealthy Paris neighbourhood on Monday night,
the fire service said.
The blaze, which took hold in an eight-storey block in the French capital’s
trendy 16th arrondissement, left 24 people, including two firefighters, with
minor injuries.
Some of those affected scrambled on to nearby roofs to escape the smoke and
flames, and needed to be rescued by fire crews.
With landmarks including the Trocadero overlooking the Eiffel Tower, Paris
Saint-Germain’s home stadium the Parc des Princes, the picturesque Bois de
Bologne and an array of upmarket shops and restaurants, the area is popular
with tourists.
Fire service spokesman Clement Cognon told AFP: “We had to carry out many
rescues, including some people who had taken refuge on the roofs.”
At approximately 3:30 am (0230 GMT), fire crews had finished evacuating the
block on Erlanger Street but were still fighting the flames. Several
surrounding buildings were also evacuated.
Around 200 firefighters were still at the scene in the early hours of
Tuesday, battling the blaze and treating the injured.
BSS/AFP/MSY/1014 hrs